Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee will return to New Delhi on Sunday after a week-long tour of Vietnam and Indonesia, which saw strengthening of bilateral relations with Hanoi and upturn in ties with Indonesia, having been almost stagnate for the past several years. The visit, described by officials as very successful, saw signing of several agreements with the two countries including on defence cooperation.
An agreement for setting up a joint commission to expedite cooperation in the economic field was signed with Indonesia.
The visit is a part of New Delhi's efforts to intensify its Look East Policy with the two countries coming in support of ASEAN-India Summit, which would help in India's greater interaction with South-East Asian nations which had witnessed rapid economic growth.
Indonesian President Abdurrehman Wahid, who set aside protocol to receive vajpayee, said he personally favoured a permanent seat for India in an expanded UN Security Council.

Bureau Report