At the meeting, the Italian Ambassador said that Vietnam-Italy relations have continuously seen positive developments, especially after the Vietnam visit of the former Prime Minister in 2014, the Vietnam visit of the Italian President in 2015 and the Italy visit of Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang in 2016. These visits have created platforms of cooperation between the two countries in terms of politics, economy, trade and culture.

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Senior Lieutenant General Pham Ngoc Minh receiving Italian Ambassador to Vietnam, Cecilia Piccioni. Photo: mod.gov.vn
Regarding defense cooperation, the ambassador said that the two sides will hold an annual Defense Dialogue at the Deputy-Ministerial Level by the end of April, which will provide opportunity for the two sides to discuss orientations for bilateral defense cooperation in the coming time.

Meanwhile, the Italian Defense Attaché affirmed that Italy is ready to support Vietnam in training Italian language, bomb and mine clearance, and maritime security and safety for Vietnamese officers.

Sharing the same view with the guests on the good results of bilateral relations and cooperation, General Minh suggested that the two sides focus on concretizing their bilateral defense cooperation in promoting delegation exchange, and cooperation on personnel training, mine action and UN peacekeeping operations, at the upcoming Defense Dialogue. The host reaffirmed Vietnam’s support for Italy’s candidacy for the Chair of the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO).

Translated by Thu Nguyen