    |
 |
|
General Phan Van Giang pays a courtesy call on Phillippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. |
At the meeting, General Phan Van Giang conveyed best wishes from Party General Secretary and State President To Lam, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, and National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man to President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. He emphasized that this visit is a practical step to actualize the common understanding reached by the senior leaders of both countries during President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr.’s state visit to Vietnam in January 2024.
The Vietnamese Defense Minister affirmed that Vietnam and the Philippines are neighboring countries, and both are responsible, active members of the ASEAN Community. He stated that Vietnam always values its strategic partnership with the Philippines.
For his part, the Philippine President highly appreciated Vietnam's remarkable socio-economic development achievements and its recent prominent diplomatic successes. He affirmed that Vietnam continues to be the Philippines' only strategic partner in ASEAN and expressed his delight at the positive development of friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries over the past time.
Welcoming and highly appreciating General Phan Van Giang’s official visit to the Philippines, President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. expressed confidence that the visit would contribute to strengthening bilateral friendship, cooperation, mutual understanding, and trust. He emphasized that defense cooperation would increasingly become an important pillar in the relationship between the two countries.
The guest stressed that defense cooperation has been prioritized and promoted by both sides, achieving positive results in various areas, such as delegation exchange at all levels, effective maintenance of consultation and dialogue mechanisms, training, exchanges, and cooperation between arms and services, coordination and mutual support at ASEAN-led multilateral mechanisms.
General Giang hoped that the Philippine Government and President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. would continue to support the signing of a new defense cooperation agreement between the two defense ministries to replace the one inked in 2010 and facilitate the establishment of a hotline between the Vietnam Coast Guard and the Philippine Coast Guard to enhance coordination in addressing non-traditional maritime security issues. He suggested both sides continue to strengthen coordination to treat fishermen violating each other’s waters humanely while promptly sharing information and views on matters of mutual concern.
|
|
 |
|
Vice Admiral Toribio Dulinayan Adaci Jr. welcomes General Phan Van Giang and the Vietnamese delegation to the Headquarters of the Philippine Navy. |
During the meeting, both sides shared views on international and regional issues of mutual concern. General Phan Van Giang affirmed the Vietnamese Party and State’s consistent foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, diversification, multilateralization, and the “Four No’s” defense policy of no military alliances, no siding with one country against another, no foreign military bases or use of Vietnamese territory to oppose other countries, and no use of force or threatening to use force in international relations.
At the event, both host and guest laid stress on the importance of maintaining peace, security, stability, freedom of navigation, and aviation in the East Sea (internationally known as South China Sea). They reaffirmed the stance of resolving disputes through peaceful means, in accordance with international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982, fully implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), and towards an effective and substantive Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC).
Next year, Vietnam and the Philippines will celebrate the 10th anniversary of their strategic partnership. Both President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. and General Phan Van Giang expressed their belief that the bilateral relationship will continue to see new developments in various areas, including defense cooperation to be on par with the potential and strengths of both sides.
|
|
 |
|
Vice Admiral Toribio Dulinayan Adaci Jr. and General Phan Van Giang reviewing the guards-of-honor of the Philippine Navy |
The same day, within the official visit to the Philippines, General Phan Van Giang and the Vietnamese delegation visited the Headquarters of the Philippine Navy, during which the Vietnamese Defense Minister laid stress on the fine neighboring relationship between the two countries.
He said that the rapid, complicated, and unpredictable developments of global and regional situation with increasing non-traditional security challenges requires the stronger cooperation between law enforcement forces of the two countries with the navies playing a crucial role.
General Phan Van Giang acknowledged and commended the recent cooperation outcomes between the two countries' navies, especially in actively supporting each other's fishermen in distress at sea. Affirming the huge potential for maritime security and safety cooperation between the two sides, the Vietnamese Defense Minister suggested that both sides actively coordinate to advise their respective high-level leaders on measures to enhance trust, maintain security and order in the bordering waters, contributing to maintaining the waters of peace, friendship, cooperation, and development. He affirmed that the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense always supports and facilitates increased exchanges and cooperation between the two navies and law enforcement forces. The Ministry of National Defense of Vietnam welcomes the Philippine Navy to send a delegation to participate in the second Vietnam International Defense Expo at the end of this year.
|
|
 |
|
A view of the working session at the Headquarters of the Philippine Navy |
|
|
 |
|
General Phan Van Giang writes in the Philippine Navy’s guest book. |
Vice Admiral Toribio Dulinayan Adaci Jr., Commander of the Philippine Navy, warmly welcomed and expressed his honor to receive General Phan Van Giang and the Vietnamese delegation. The Philippine Navy’s Commander thanked the two defense ministries for facilitating cooperation between the Philippine Navy and the Vietnam People's Navy over the past time. He evaluated that the two countries' navies have maintained effective cooperation, and affirmed that the Philippine Navy highly values and desires to strengthen cooperation with the Vietnam People's Navy.
Reported by Thu Trang (from Manila, the Philippines)
Translated by Tran Hoai