After being introduced to the university by NDU President Michael T. Plehn, Minister Phan Van Giang expressed his pleasure at visiting and meeting with officials and scholars of the NDU, the highest-level educational institution of the U.S. Department of Defense.
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President of the U.S. National Defense University Michael T. Plehn welcoming General Phan Van Giang (R) |
Minister Phan Van Giang emphasized that Vietnam consistently pursues a a foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, cooperation, and development, promoting diversity and multilateralism. Vietnam aims to be a good friend and reliable partner to all nations and a responsible member of the international community. Vietnam's national defense policy is peaceful and self-defensive, focusing on building a national defense posture based on the combined strength of the whole nation, the unity bloc of the whole people, and the entire political system. Vietnam firmly supports maintaining peace and stability, ensuring security, safety, freedom of navigation and overflight, and opposes arms races. It advocates for resolving disputes through peaceful means, based on respect for international law, especially the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982. Vietnam also seeks to effectively implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (South China Sea) (DOC) and is working towards developing a substantive, effective, and legally binding Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC).
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General Phan Van Giang (R) and NDU President Michael T. Plehn |
During the discussion with leaders and scholars of the NDU, Minister Phan Van Giang affirmed that the U.S. is an important partner in Vietnam's foreign policy. With the spirit of "leaving the past behind, overcoming differences, promoting similarities, and looking towards the future," the relationship between the two countries has reached its highest level, with significant achievements in all areas.
Minister Phan Van Giang noted that the defense cooperation between Vietnam and the U.S. has been conducted in accordance with agreements signed by the leaders of both countries and defense ministries, resulting in positive outcomes in many areas. He expressed gratitude for the scholarships the U.S. has provided to Vietnam in recent years for military education and welcomed the U.S. for sending officers to the training courses for senior defense officials at the Vietnam National Defense Academy. He also affirmed Vietnam's readiness to receive more U.S. students to study the Vietnamese language in Vietnam.
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General Phan Van Giang and the high-level delegation of the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense during discussions with officials and scholars from the U.S. National Defense University |
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General Phan Van Giang and the Vietnamese high-level defense delegation |
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President of the U.S. National Defense University Michael T. Plehn, General Phan Van Giang, and the Vietnamese high-level defense delegation |
Regarding post-war recovery efforts between Vietnam and the U.S., Minister Phan Van Giang emphasized that cooperation in this area has become a critical foundation for bilateral relations. He highly appreciated the strong support and commitment of the U.S. government and people in projects, such as dioxin decontamination, assistance for people with disabilities affected by Agent Orange/ dioxin, clearance of un-exploded ordnance, and the search for soldiers missing in action from both sides. These efforts have helped build trust and positive public opinion, making cooperation between Vietnam and the U.S. in war legacy settlement a model of international relations.
Translated by Trung Thanh