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Delegates in a joint photo |
The conference was attended by leaders of the MND, the General Department of Politics, the General Staff, relevant agencies of the MND, and representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Central Commission for External Affairs, Central Information and Education Commission, Committee for External Affairs of the National Assembly, the Offices of the Central Party Committee, State President, Government and National Assembly.
The conference reviewed the collaboration in implementing the integration and defense relations mission from the 12th National Party Congress to present. Participants at the conference agreed on a number of policies and solutions to strengthening cooperation in implementing the work in the new period.
Opening the conference, General Ngo Xuan Lich affirmed that the Central Military Commission (CMC) and the MND have always considered defense relations a part of the national foreign relations, which contribute to the implementation of the general foreign relations policy of the country. Implementing defense relations work is to carry out the early protection of the Fatherland by peaceful means.
The central report of the Department of Foreign Relations under the MND highlighted that the CMC and MND have actively and proactively directed the international integration and defense relations work. In reality, defense cooperation has become one of the primary important pillars in the relations between Vietnam and many other countries.
Hoang Binh Quan, Head of the Central Commission for External Affairs, held that international integration and defense relations not only constitute a part of the national foreign relations, but also serve as one of the pillars in foreign relations policy of the nation. At present, almost all countries highly value defense relations as this is the area related to national security. Defense relations also function as a measure to boost political confidence among countries.
Participants at the conference openly exchanged views and proposed policies and measures to implement the international integration and defense relations work. Especially, they also discussed in depth the collaboration in making strategic proposals to the Party and State on important defense-security issues.
Quan stressed that the collaboration among ministries, sectors and localities in carrying out the work is even more important in the current period. More open defense relations activities mean closer collaboration among different sectors that are involved in these activities with high sense of responsibility for one another, such as political, economic, cultural, etc. activities, with close interaction and higher requirements.
Participants highly appreciated the close and proactive collaboration between the MND and other ministries, sectors, central agencies and localities in carrying out the work over the past years. In order to increase the effectiveness of the work in the coming time, the participants proposed the building of a coordination and exchange of information mechanism between the MND and related agencies or forming working groups to do strategic research serving the Party and State in this field.
Concluding the conference, General Ngo Xuan Lich confirmed that in the coming time the CMC and MND would continue grasping the foreign policy of the Party and boost bilateral defense cooperation. He stressed that defense cooperation is one of the pillars in the relations between Vietnam and other countries. The defense minister proposed that the contents and forms of defense relations, especially friendly border exchanges and humanitarian aid and search and rescue exercises, should be diversified. Besides, Vietnam should be engaged more deeply in defense cooperation mechanisms within ASEAN and make thorough preparations for the organization of military-defense conferences in 2020 when Vietnam takes the ASEAN chair.
The General also stressed the importance in enhancing the effectiveness of regular collaboration in carrying out the work via suitable mechanisms among relevant ministries, agencies and localities.
Translated by Huu Duong