Chien said as the two countries are celebrating the 50th anniversary of their bilateral diplomatic ties this year, their strategic partnership has continued to be promoted, with defence cooperation remaining an important factor of bilateral relations.
Goldie affirmed that the defence ties have been developing strongly and recording good outcomes.
At the dialogue, the two sides shared the view that defence cooperation has continued to be implemented in the right direction and in line with the countries’ commitments in the memorandum of understanding on defence cooperation signed in 2017, as well as the agreements reached between Vietnamese Defence Minister Gen. Phan Van Giang and British Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace during the latter’s official visit to Vietnam in July 2021.
They highlighted encouraging cooperation outcomes, especially in mutual visits, training, United Nations peacekeeping operations, defence industry, maritime security, hydrography, geospace, and human trafficking combat.
Defence cooperation has been carried out effectively and substantively, thus greatly contributing to the Vietnam - UK strategic partnership and mutual trust for the sake of each country and for regional and global peace and stability, they went on.
The officials suggested some cooperation orientations for the coming time, including continuing delegation exchanges and implementing cooperation activities in conformity with the signed agreements.
Chien called on the UK to continue reserving scholarships and holding technical and English training courses for the Vietnamese side.
Vietnam hopes to receive the UK’s assistance to improve its capacity in the fields that the European country is strong at such as cyber security, hydrography, and naval affairs, he noted, adding that Vietnam is ready to welcome British military personnel coming to learn the Vietnamese language at the Military Science Academy and the National Defence Academy.
Regarding cooperation in the UN peacekeeping operations, the Defence Ministry asked the UK to continue helping develop the Vietnam peacekeeping training centre to the regional and international levels, improve the capacity of specialised forces, and support Vietnam’s candidacy for high-ranking positions at UN missions and the UN headquarters.
In terms of the defence industry, the Defence Ministry of Vietnam is ready to create conditions for British enterprises to introduce their products, learn about the procedures for purchasing the defence industry’s products in Vietnam, and explore each other’s demand and strengths to effectively carry out cooperation in line with law, international practices, and each side’s capacity, Chien added.
