At the meeting held before the talks between General Angus Campbell and Sr. Lt. Gen. Nguyen Tan Cuong, the chief of Australian Defense Force warmly welcomed Gen. Cuong and the high-ranking Vietnamese military delegation. He highlighted the official visit’s significance, saying that it takes place on the occasion the two countries are organizing a number of activities in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the diplomatic ties (1973 - 2023). He believed that the visit will contribute to strengthening the relations between the two militaries, helping lift the Vietnam - Australia ties to a new height in the coming time.
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Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army Nguyen Tan Cuong welcomed with smoking ceremony performed by aboriginals |
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Vietnamese Chief of the General Staff Nguyen Tan Cuong reviews the Guards-of-Honor. |
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Sr. Lt. Gen. Nguyen Tan Cuong introduces General Angus Campbell to members of the high-ranking Vietnamese military delegation. |
Expressing thanks to the host for the solemn reception, Gen. Cuong stressed that the strategic partnership between Vietnam and Australia has developed actively, practically, and intensively in many fields, in accordance with signed agreements, contributing to peace, stability and common development.
The Vietnamese general also took this chance to thank Australia for transporting Vietnam’s level-two field hospitals to South Sudan to undertake peacekeeping duties.
After the meeting, the two generals held talks.
Both officials agreed that the cooperation between the two militaries has been carried out in line with the memorandum of understanding on defense ties signed in 2010 and the joint vision statement on enhancing the ties signed in 2018. They recalled outstanding achievements in exchange of all-level delegations, particularly high-level ones, consultation and dialogue mechanisms, training, U.N. peacekeeping, COVID-19 prevention and control, among others.
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Chief of the Australian Defense Force witnesses Sr. Lt. Gen. Nguyen Tan Cuong writing in a visitors’ book. |
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Sr. Lt. Gen. Nguyen Tan Cuong and General Angus Campbell |
Regarding multilateral cooperation, both generals evaluated that Vietnam and Australia are active members of the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM+) and both countries have regularly consulted with and supported each other at regional forums. In addition, Vietnam backs ASEAN - Australia comprehensive strategic partnership and highly appreciates ASEAN - Australia Defense Ministers’ Informal Meeting mechanism.
To bolster the cooperative ties between the two militaries, Sr. Lt. Gen. Nguyen Tan Cuong and Gen. Angus Campbell reached agreement on promoting cooperation in such fields as all-level delegation exchange, high-level contacts, consultation and dialogue mechanisms, U.N. peacekeeping, personnel training, military medicine, experience sharing between corps and services, and settlement of war legacy.
Both defense leaders laid stress on considering the possibility of expanding cooperation in cyber security, defense industry and enhancement of consultation and coordination in multilateral mechanisms to which both sides are members, especially ADMM+ Experts’ Working Group so as to boost Vietnam’s international integration in terms of defense and strengthen the comprehensive strategic partnership between ASEAN and Australia.
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General Angus Campbell presents a souvenir to the Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army. |
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Commander of the Vietnamese Air Defense - Air Force Service Lieutenant General Nguyen Van Hien (right) meets with Head of Air Force Capability Air Vice-Marshal Wendy Blyth. |
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Vietnamese Naval Commander Rear Admiral Tran Thanh Nghiem (left) has a meeting with Chief of Navy Australia Vice Admiral Mark Hammond. |
Also at the talks, the two sides exchanged views on international and regional issues of common concern. They underlined the importance of maintaining peace, security, safety and freedom of navigation and overflight in the East Sea (South China Sea), addressing disputes by peaceful means and in accordance with international laws, including the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982.
On the occasion, the Vietnamese chief of the General Staff invited General Angus Campbell to pay an official visit to Vietnam in an appropriate time. The latter accepted the invitation with pleasure and promised to arrange the Vietnam visit at the soonest time.
After the talks, commanders of the Vietnamese Naval and Air Defense - Air Force Services had meetings with Vice Admiral Mark Hammond, Chief of Navy Australia, and Air Vice-Marshal Wendy Blyth, Head of Air Force Capability under the Royal Australian Air Force, respectively.
By Tien Dat from Canberra, Australia
Translated by Mai Huong