The dialogue was co-chaired by Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien, Vietnamese Deputy Defense Minister and head of the Vietnamese delegation, and Philippine Undersecretary of National Defense Irineo Cruz Espino, head of the Philippine delegation.
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Deputy Defense Minister Sr. Lt. Gen. Hoang Xuan Chien |
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Philippine Undersecretary of National Defense Irineo Cruz Espino |
At the opening of the dialogue, Philippine Undersecretary of National Defense Espino sent his deepest condolences to the Vietnamese people and CPV members over the passing of the General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.
Sr. Lt. Gen. Hoang Xuan Chien thanked the Philippine Department of National Defense and Undersecretary Espino for their condolences, which reflected the good relationship and sentiments between the two countries and their defense ministries.
During the dialogue, both leaders reviewed the outcomes of the 7th meeting of the joint working group on defense cooperation. They praised the achievements of the meeting and reaffirmed the importance of strengthening bilateral defense cooperation within the framework of the strategic partnership between Vietnam and the Philippines.
Both sides appreciated the defense cooperation results since the 5th dialogue in 2023, which included exchanges of delegations at all levels, maintaining consultation and dialogue mechanisms, information sharing, training cooperation, and mutual support at ASEAN-led multilateral forums and mechanisms.
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The two leaders signing the minutes of the 6th Vietnam - Philippines Defense Policy Dialogue |
Vietnam highly valued the cooperation between the maritime law enforcement forces of the two countries in maintaining security in adjacent maritime areas and effectively handling incidents. Vietnam also welcomed the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on maritime cooperation between the two countries' coast guards in January 2024, during the official visit of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to Vietnam.
The Philippines supported cooperation in other areas positively impacting bilateral relations, including logistics and defense cooperation, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR), military medicine, cybersecurity, and United Nations peacekeeping operations.
Both sides shared views on global and regional issues of mutual concern, emphasizing that peace, stability, and common development are in the interest of all nations worldwide. They highlighted joint efforts to contribute positively to enhancing ASEAN unity and centrality in regional security architecture. Both agreed that maritime security and safety in the East Sea (aka South China Sea) are shared interests of the region and the world.
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Delegates pose for a group photo. |
Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien stressed the necessity of promoting commitments and compliance with the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties (DOC) in the East Sea and expediting negotiations for an effective and substantive Code of Conduct (COC) in the East Sea in accordance with international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982 (UNCLOS 1982).
Moving forward, both sides agreed to continue making bilateral defense cooperation more practical and effective, focusing on delegation exchanges at all levels, particularly high-level ones, promoting effective consultations and dialogues, increasing practical and effective cooperation in various fields through working visits, maintaining information sharing and training, enhancing maritime cooperation, rescue operations, disaster response, crime prevention, and addressing non-traditional security threats.
Both sides agreed to coordinate closely and support each other at multilateral forums and mechanisms, particularly the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting (ADMM) and ADMM-Plus, and to support events hosted by each country, including the Asian Defense and Security (ADAS) Exhibition in the Philippines in September 2024 and the second Vietnam International Defense Expo in December 2024.
Vietnam hoped that the leadership of the Philippine Department of National Defense would support events organized by Vietnam, particularly the 80th anniversary of the establishment of the Vietnam People's Army and the second Vietnam International Defense Expo, and the Philippine businesses would participate in the second Vietnam International Defense Expo.
At the end of the dialogue, the two leaders signed the minutes of the 6th Vietnam - Philippines Defense Policy Dialogue.
Translated by Trung Thanh