The year 2023 is an important milestone marking the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Singapore and the 10th anniversary of the establishment of their strategic partnership. According to Colonel Bernard Ng Yu Long, the past half-century has witnessed the "solid and substantial partnership" between the two countries. “We are long-time friends and close partners in many fields bilaterally and multilaterally. This is not a random result, but the outcomes of maintaining exchanges at all levels, from the government, businesses to the people," said Colonel Bernard Ng Yu Long.
    |
 |
|
Vietnamese Defense Minister Phan Van Giang and his Singaporean counterpart Ng Eng Hen at an event on February 25, 2022 (Photo: mindef.gov.sg) |
The Singaporean diplomat affirmed that the fine political relationship between the two countries over the past five decades has paved the way for bilateral cooperation in all aspects. In particular, defense ties, as Colonel Bernard Ng Yu Long assessed, are an important pillar in the Vietnam - Singapore relationship. The bilateral defense cooperation has ripened important achievements in such areas as exchange of delegations, human resource training, collaboration between arms and services, maintenance of dialogue mechanisms, and exchange of young officers. Multilaterally, Vietnam and Singapore have closely and effectively coordinated with each other in defense cooperation mechanisms within ASEAN and between ASEAN and its partners, such as the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting (ADMM) and the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting Plus (ADMM+).
In February 2022, Vietnamese Minister of National Defense General Phan Van Giang and his Singaporean counterpart Ng Eng Hen signed an agreement on bilateral defense cooperation between the two governments under the witness of senior leaders of the two countries at the Presidential Palace of Singapore.
In late 2022, within the framework of the 13th Vietnam - Singapore Defense Policy Dialogue in Singapore, Vietnamese Deputy Defense Minister Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien and Singapore's Permanent Secretary for Defense Chan Heng Kee inked a cooperation plan for the 2023 - 2025 period. “These are two very important documents. The agreement on bilateral defense cooperation reflects and emphasizes the two sides’ shared commitment to deepening the bilateral defense cooperation. Meanwhile, the cooperation plan for the 2023 - 2025 period lays a solid foundation for many cooperation activities, setting out programs, initiatives, and orientations for the two defense ministries and militaries to implement in the future,” stated Colonel Bernard Ng Yu Long.
In the first half of this year, the two countries' defense ministries and militaries carried out many meaningful activities in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relations and the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the strategic partnership between the two countries. Among significant events were the visit of Ship RSS Persistence of the Singaporean Navy to Khanh Hoa province in February, 2023 and the participation of Frigate 015-Tran Hung Dao of the Vietnam People's Navy in the ASEAN - India Maritime Exercise and International Maritime Defense Exhibition and Conference (IMDEX) in May, 2023 in Singapore.
The Singaporean defense attaché thanked the Vietnamese Defense Ministry for regularly sending high-ranking delegations to Singapore-hosted multilateral events, such as Shangri-La Dialogue, Singapore Airshow, and IMDEX. In the context of unpredictable security situations, he emphasized the need to further build trust among countries to respond to common challenges.
Mentioning his positive outlook for the bilateral defense cooperation, Colonel Bernard Ng Yu Long hoped to foster cooperation with relevant agencies of the Vietnamese Defense Ministry to lift the bilateral defense ties to a new height.
Translated by Tran Hoai