The event was co-chaired by Vietnamese Deputy Minister of National Defence Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien and Permanent Secretary Chan Heng Kee at Singapore’s Ministry of Defence.
At the dialogue, the two sides shared the view that the bilateral defence cooperation in the past year has achieved important results, with the same frequency and level as before the COVID-19 pandemic broke out. In particular, during the State visit of President Nguyen Xuan Phuc to Singapore last February, the defence ministers of the two countries signed an agreement on bilateral defence cooperation which created the framework for strengthening collaboration in areas that each side has strengths.
The two sides also agreed to promote cooperation in human resources, collaboration and exchanges between the navies, air forces and coast guards of the two countries. They pledged to study the expansion of cooperation to fields that suit their needs such as cybersecurity, maritime security, digital transformation, and response to emerging diseases as well as actively support each other within the military-defence framework of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
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At the event. (Photo: qdnd.vn)
Regarding the world and regional situation, the two sides committed to continue working closely with each other to maintain the unity and central role of ASEAN in the regional security architecture, and to promote dialogue and cooperation among ASEAN countries as well as between the bloc and external partners for peace and stability of the region and the world.
The two sides also exchanged views on a number of issues of common concern, such as the situation in the East Sea and non-traditional security challenges such as cybersecurity, maritime security, and the Greater Mekong Sub-region.
Chan emphasised that given the complicated developments in the world and regional situation, the two sides need to further strengthen their cooperation for mutual interests. He also thanked Vietnam for its active support of multilateral initiatives and events held by Singapore.
For his part, Chien repeated an invitation to Chan, leaders of Singapore's Ministry of Defence, army and enterprises to attend the first International Defence Exhibition in Vietnam in early December, saying that Singapore's presence will contribute to the overall success of the event.
Within the framework of the dialogue, the two sides signed a cooperation plan for 2023-2025 which is built on the renewed Defence Cooperation Agreement signed in February this year.
During his stay in Singapore, Chien also called on Senior Minister of State for Defence Heng Chee How, visited the Information Fusion Centre at Changi Naval Base and had a working session with the International Institute for Strategic Studies (UK) in Asia (IISS-Asia).
