At the meeting between Vietnamese Defense Minister Ngo Xuan Lich and US Defense Secretary James Mattis, the two defense ministers reviewed outcomes of the bilateral defense cooperation.
Both sides agreed that the results of the defense cooperation have contributed significantly to the Vietnam-US comprehensive partnership, especially after the Vietnamese defense minister’s official visit to the US in August 2017.
US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis speaks with Vietnamese Defense Minister Gen. Ngo Xuan Lich at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Defense Ministers handover of chairmanship from the Philippines to Singapore in Clark, the Philippines. Photo credit: US Department of Defense
The Vietnamese defense minister informed his US counterpart that Vietnam will hold a ceremony in the coming time to announce the results of the second phase of the dioxin detoxification project in Da Nang Airport.
He also asked the US side to continue its cooperation with Vietnam in detoxifying dioxin-affected land in Bien Hoa airport.
For his part, US Defense Secretary James Mattis highly valued Vietnam’s position and status in the region, and its regional cooperation in building a peaceful region and secure environment. The US side is ready to expand its cooperation with Vietnam in the areas it needs, the US defense secretary said.
Vietnamese Defense Minister Gen. Ngo Xuan Lich (C) at the event
At the meeting with Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera, the Vietnamese defense minister hailed positive developments in bilateral defense ties between the two countries over recent times, saying that the bilateral defense relationship is a pillar in the Vietnam-Japan strategic partnership. Recently, the bilateral defense cooperation has witnessed a number of worthy outcomes, especially in the areas of personnel training, consultation, dialogue, experience-sharing in UN peacekeeping operations and maritime security.
He also suggested that the two sides expand cooperation on military medicine.
The Japanese defense minister reaffirmed that Japan treasures its defense cooperation with Vietnam and that it is willing to collaborate with Vietnam in realizing the agreements signed by the two sides.
When meeting with Indian Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, the Vietnamese defense minister reiterated the traditional friendship between Vietnam and India.
Vietnam highly values India’s role and position in the region and strongly supports its “Act East” policy. He also thanked the Indian side for its practical support of Vietnam as well as its effective defense cooperation, particularly in personnel training and experience-sharing in UN peacekeeping operations.
The Indian defense minister said that India attaches much importance to boosting comprehensive relations with Vietnam, including defense ties. He affirmed that the Indian side will continue cooperating closely with Vietnam to disburse credit packages for Vietnam in the most efficient manner.
Translated by Thu Nguyen