Minister Chan Chun Sing shared the outcomes of his meeting with General Phan Van Giang, Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense, on the sidelines of the recent 13th Beijing Xiangshan Forum.
Regarding the bilateral defense cooperation, the Singaporean minister emphasized that Singapore’s assumption of the ASEAN Chairmanship in 2027 would provide an opportunity for the two countries to closely coordinate and promote defense and security initiatives, contributing to strengthening ASEAN solidarity and its central role.
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Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Truong Thang pays a courtesy call on Singaporean Minister for Defense Chan Chun Sing. |
Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Truong Thang highly appreciated Singapore’s position, role, and positive contribution to regional and international affairs, particularly within ASEAN. He affirmed that Viet Nam stands ready to coordinate with and support Singapore in successfully fulfilling its role as ASEAN Chair in 2027.
The Vietnamese Deputy Defense Minister added that the Viet Nam-Singapore defense cooperation has become increasingly practical and effective, with notable achievements in delegation exchanges at all levels, defense policy dialogue, consultation, and information sharing mechanisms, cooperation among military services, young officer exchanges, training, naval ship visits, and mutual support at multilateral forums.
Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Truong Thang suggested that Minister Chan Chun Sing continue to facilitate cooperation between the two defense ministries. He also expressed his hope to welcome the Singaporean defense minister, military leaders, and defense enterprises to the third Viet Nam Defense Expo, scheduled to take place in Ha Noi this December.
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Delegates attend the 17th Viet Nam-Singapore Defense Policy Dialogue. |
For his part, Minister Chan Chun Sing said that he would send a high-ranking delegation from the Singaporean Ministry of Defense to attend the expo and pay an official visit to Viet Nam at an appropriate time.
* Later the same day, Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Truong Thang and Permanent Secretary (Defense) of Singapore Joseph Leong Weng Keong co-chaired the 17th Viet Nam-Singapore Defense Policy Dialogue.
At the dialogue, both sides assessed that Viet Nam-Singapore defense cooperation has continued to expand in a practical manner, paving the way for exploring new and more effective areas of cooperation in accordance with the interests of both countries, thereby contributing to regional peace and stability.
In the coming time, the two sides agreed to strengthen reliable, comprehensive, and practical cooperation, focusing on key areas such as exchanges of delegations at all levels; maintaining the Defense Policy Dialogue mechanism; human resource training; cooperation among naval, air, and coast guard forces; young officer exchanges; cybersecurity cooperation; and mutual support within ASEAN military-defense cooperation frameworks.
The two sides also exchanged viewpoints on regional and international issues of mutual concern.
Regarding the East Sea (aka South China Sea) issue, Viet Nam reaffirmed its consistent stance of resolving disputes by peaceful means in accordance with international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982, while fully and effectively implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and striving for a substantive and effective Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC).
Translated by Minh Anh