This year’s CHOD conference had the theme “The future Indo-Pacific: Building a resilient and interconnected region” and four discussion sessions.
At the event, Gen. Tan emphasized the world’s common trend of peace, cooperation, and development in the world and non-traditional and traditional security challenges facing the region. He highly valued the organizer’s topics for discussions, including safeguarding the international system; regional capacity building; emerging technology threats and opportunities; and the future Indo-Pacific.
The Vietnamese defense leader confirmed that Vietnam is consistent with its foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralization and diversification of foreign relations; being a friend, a reliable partner in the international community; and follows its defense policy of peace and self-defense.
He also talked about the role and position of the Vietnam People’s Army in protecting the people from natural disasters.
He underlined that Vietnam always respects and fulfills its duties in accordance with the U.N. Charter, international treaties and agreements to which Vietnam is a member and that Vietnam will collaborate with other countries to promote peace, dialogue, prevent the risk of war, and contribute to building the Indo-Pacific into a dynamic region and a locomotive of development of the world.
On the sidelines of the conference, Gen. Tan had bilateral meetings with head delegates of participating countries.
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Sr. Lt. Gen. Phung Si Tan (R) meets with Admiral Samuel Paparo, Commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command. |
Meeting with Admiral Samuel Paparo, Commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Gen. Tan thanked the command and the admiral himself for the solemn reception for the Vietnamese delegation during the event. He also expressed thanks to the U.S. for the implementation of war relief activities in Vietnam and capacity building for Vietnamese peacekeeping force.
Admiral Samuel Paparo sent condolences on the passing of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong who had made important contribution to the Vietnam - U.S. relations, especially in upgrading the two countries’ ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership for peace, cooperation, and sustainable development.
The U.S. admiral expressed his delight at the fine development of the two countries’ relationship over the past time, including the defense ties, and thanked the Vietnamese side for cooperating to search for U.S. servicemen missing in action in the war in Vietnam. He said that the U.S. side pledged to continue its support to the projects on overcoming consequences of dioxin and post-war bombs and mines in Vietnam.
The two officials agreed to strengthen current cooperation fields in line with agreed documents and agreements as well as the Updated Vietnam - U.S. joint vision statement on defense cooperation signed in the freshly-concluded official visit to the U.S. by Defense Minister General Phan Van Giang (early September this year).
At the meeting with Lt. Gen. Johnson Mathiew, Chief of Integrated Defense Staff of India, the two sides agreed to actively carry out contents reached by the two defense ministers in the framework of the Indian Minister’s visit to Vietnam in June 2022 and the Vietnamese Minister’s visit to India in June 2023, and at the Vietnam - India defense policy dialogue at the deputy ministerial level in August this year, focusing on training, cooperation between arms and services, U.N. peacekeeping operations, defense industry, among others.
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Sr. Lt. Gen. Phung Si Tan (third from left) and Lt. Gen. Johnson Mathiew, Chief of Integrated Defense Staff of India, and other delegates at the meeting |
Gen. Tan asked the Indian side to work closely with the Vietnamese side to conduct the Vietnam-India bilateral exercise (VINBAX) on U.N. peacekeeping operations, scheduled to take place in India in late this year.
During their meeting, Gen. Tan and Two-star General Sunrevin Ganbyamba, Chief of the General Staff of the Mongolian Armed Forces, highly praised the good traditional friendship between the two countries and militaries. Both were delighted at the recent developments in the bilateral defense ties, particularly the regular visits of the two defense ministers to each other's country and contacts on the sidelines of regional multilateral meetings, including the Beijing Xiangshan Forum in early September this year. That Vietnam is the only ASEAN member state that Mongolia has opened a defense attaché office in (in 2023), which would help boost the bilateral defense relations in line with the two countries’ relationship.
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Sr. Lt. Gen. Phung Si Tan (L) and Two-star General Sunrevin Ganbyamba, Chief of the General Staff of the Mongolian Armed Forces |
The two sides were unanimous in actively implementing the cooperation contents agreed by the two defense ministers and those in the framework of the agreement on defense cooperation signed by the two governments.
Both Gen. Tan and Vice Admiral Pablo Niemann Figari, Chief of the Joint Chiefs of Defense of Chile, spoke highly of the fruitful friendship between Vietnam and Chile over the past time. Given the official debut of Vietnam’s defense attaché office in Chile, the Vietnamese general suggested the Chilean Ministry of National Defense and the Vice Admiral pay due attention to and support the agency in mission fulfillment.
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Sr. Lt. Gen. Phung Si Tan (third from left) and Vice Admiral Pablo Niemann Figari, Chief of the Joint Chiefs of Defense of Chile and other delegates in a group photo |
Vice Admiral Pablo Niemann Figari said that Chile’s training center on U.N. peacekeeping operations gets ready to welcome Vietnamese officers to study and share experience at an appropriate time.
The two sides agreed to enhance cooperation in such fields as delegation exchanges, particularly the high-level ones, training, U.N. peacekeeping operations, and other areas that both sides have potential and needs. They would speed up the early signing of a memorandum of understanding on defense cooperation on the occasion of respective high-level visits.
During the above meetings, in response to Gen. Tan’s invitations, head delegates said that they will arrange time to attend or consider sending delegations to participate in the second Vietnam International Defense Expo in Hanoi this December.
Translated by Mai Huong