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General Nguyen Tan Cuong meets with Chief of the Defense Forces of Malaysia. |
Meeting with General Tan Sri Hj Mohd Nizam bin Hj Jaffar, Chief of the Defense Forces of Malaysia, General Cuong expressed confidence that Malaysia will successfully fulfill its role as ASEAN Chair 2025 and affirmed that Vietnam’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) will continue to support and accompany its Malaysian counterpart.
He proposed strengthening cooperation mechanisms, such as the Defense Policy Dialogue, ties between arms and services, and exchanges of young officers. He hoped that Malaysia would support the signing of an MoU on maritime law enforcement and search and rescue cooperation; soon sign an agreement on joint patrols and a direct communication channel between the two navies; enhance information sharing; coordinate humanitarian treatment for distressed fishermen; and continue mutual support in ASEAN-led multilateral forums and mechanisms.
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General Cuong is delighted at meeting the Chief of the General Staff of the Lao People’s Army. |
He emphasized Vietnam’s support to Malaysia and India as co-chairs of the ADMM+ Expert Working Group on Counter-Terrorism.
Meeting with Lieutenant General Saichay Kommasith, Chief of the General Staff of the Lao People's Army and Deputy Minister of National Defense, General Cuong laid stress on implementing agreed plans, including preparations for the upcoming annual trilateral defense ministers’ meeting and joint exercise among Vietnamese, Lao, and Cambodian militaries in Laos.
During the meeting with General Vong Pisen, Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, General Cuong noted the practical and effective bilateral defense ties, recognized by both nations as a key pillar in bilateral relations.
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At the meeting with the Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces |
He proposed cooperation priorities through 2025, including successful organization of the 2nd Vietnam - Cambodia Border Defense Friendship Exchange, the eighth Vietnam - Cambodia Defense Policy Dialogue in Vietnam, early signing of a border cooperation agreement and an MoU on personnel training between the two defense ministries, deployment of border guard attachés at Vietnam’s defense attaché office in Cambodia, among others.
He also called for deeper trilateral ties among militaries of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia and emphasized that Vietnam supports Laos in hosting the aforementioned trilateral defense ministers’ meeting and joint exercise in 2025.
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General Cuong presents a souvenir to the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. |
Meeting with General Romeo S. Brawner Jr., Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, General Cuong praised the recent progress in bilateral defense cooperation following the official visit to the Philippines by Defense Minister General Phan Van Giang last August. He suggested the two sides continue promoting high-level delegation exchanges, implement existing cooperation mechanisms, and work toward signing new defense agreements. He said Vietnam welcomes the upcoming official Vietnam visit of the Philippine Defense Minister.
In his meeting with Vice Admiral Aaron Beng, Chief of Defense Force of Singapore, General Cuong called for enhancing trusted, comprehensive, and practical cooperation. He welcomed the upcoming 16th Defense Policy Dialogue and signing of key cooperation documents. He suggested deepening cooperation in personnel training, between arms and services, exchange of expertise and between young officers, naval ship visits, military medicine, and cybersecurity.
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General Cuong talks to the Chief of Defense Force of Singapore |
He supported efforts to finalize and sign an MoU on cybersecurity cooperation, and deploy Vietnamese officers to Singapore’s ADMM Cybersecurity and Information Center. He called for continued mutual support in regional security forums, including ADMM and ADMM+ in Malaysia, and reaffirmed Vietnam’s support for the Shangri-La Dialogue.
Also in Malaysia, General Cuong and the high-ranking military delegation of Vietnam visited the Office of the Defense Attaché of Vietnam in Malaysia.
Reported by Ngoc Han (from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)
Translated by Mai Huong