The meeting was co-chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense of Viet Nam General Phan Van Giang and his Lao and Cambodian counterparts General Khamliang Outhakaysone and General Tea Seiha, respectively.
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General Phan Van Giang and Vietnamese delegates attend the meeting. |
At the meeting, General Phan Van Giang expressed his delight at significant achievements the three countries had made in national construction and defense, as well as the increasingly close and enduring solidarity among Viet Nam, Laos and Cambodia. He expressed confidence that, under the sound leadership of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party and the Cambodian People’s Party, Laos and Cambodia would continue to achieve even greater accomplishments and further enhance their standing and image in the international arena.
General Phan Van Giang affirmed that Viet Nam wished to work closely with Laos, Cambodia and other countries in the region, in alignment with the process of building the ASEAN Community. Viet Nam has always given top priority to continuously consolidating and strengthening its close, trust-based relations with Laos and Cambodia. Viet Nam also deeply appreciates the wholehearted and invaluable support and assistance provided by the two countries during Viet Nam’s struggle for national liberation and reunification, as well as in its current cause of national construction and defense.
The Vietnamese official emphasized that, since its establishment in 2012, the mechanism of annual meetings among the three defense ministers had become increasingly effective over more than a decade. It serves as a vivid demonstration of the three countries’ political determination to consolidate and strengthen solidarity, further promote political trust, and expand cooperation between the three countries and their armed forces.
He described defense cooperation as an important pillar of the overall relations among the three countries. General Phan Van Giang welcomed the effective implementation of key cooperation priorities agreed upon by the three defense ministers at their meeting in Laos in 2025. Notable areas of progress included delegation exchanges and meetings; cooperation in border management and protection; and communication and education efforts aimed at the people and armed forces of the three countries, particularly younger generations, to raise awareness of the history, significance and importance of preserving and promoting trilateral solidarity.
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General Khamliang Outhakaysone and Lao delegates attend the meeting. |
For his part, General Khamliang Outhakaysone emphasized that his official visit to Viet Nam, participation in the annual meeting of the three defense ministers, and attendance at the Joint Civil Defense Exercise among the militaries of Viet Nam, Laos and Cambodia in 2026 provided an opportunity to further deepen the long-standing traditional ties among the three countries in general and their armed forces in particular. He spoke highly of the results of the joint exercise, noting that it provided valuable experience applicable to practical situations. He also expressed his pleasure at the positive results achieved in cooperation among the three defense ministries.
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General Tea Seiha and Cambodian delegates attend the meeting. |
General Tea Seiha affirmed that his official visit to Viet Nam, participation in the annual meeting and attendance at the joint civil defense exercise would help strengthen relations among the three countries and contribute to peace, stability and prosperity in the region and the world. He spoke highly of the cooperation achieved among the three countries overall and their defense ministries in particular. He pledged to further promote trilateral defense cooperation in the coming period on the basis of respect for each country’s independence, sovereignty and national interests. He also reaffirmed Cambodia’s support for Viet Nam and Laos at regional and international multilateral forums, particularly the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) and the ADMM-Plus.
Regarding future cooperation, General Phan Van Giang proposed that the three sides continue coordinating efforts to implement cooperation priorities, including consolidating the foundation of political trust and strengthening exchanges of delegations and meetings at all levels; maintaining the effectiveness of the annual cooperation mechanism; and promoting communication and education among the armed forces and people, especially younger generations, about the history, significance and importance of Viet Nam-Laos-Cambodia solidarity to the future destiny of each country, while thwarting schemes aimed at undermining and sowing division in the relations among the three countries and their armed forces.
Other priorities included exchanges and cooperation among border protection forces, military regions along the shared borders, and services and arms; sharing experience in border management and protection and combating trans-national crime; friendship exchanges between the armed forces and local authorities and people in border areas; defense industry; military and defense law; military sports; digital transformation; war legacy settlement; U.N. peacekeeping; and human resource training. The three sides would also continue supporting one another at regional and international multilateral forums, particularly within the framework of ASEAN.
General Phan Van Giang said the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense would welcome the delegations led by the Lao Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense and the Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense to attend the third Viet Nam Defense Expo, scheduled to take place in Ha Noi this December.
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General Phan Van Giang, General Khamliang Outhakaysone and General Tea Seiha sign the minutes of the meeting. |
At the meeting, General Phan Van Giang, General Khamliang Outhakaysone and General Tea Seiha exchanged views on the global and regional situation and the notable achievements made by the three countries and their armed forces in recent years. At the conclusion of the meeting, the three generals signed the meeting minutes.
Translated by Tran Hoai