Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Tan Cuong, who is member of the Party Central Committee, member of the Standing Committee of the Central Military Commission, Chief of the General Staff and Deputy Defense Minister, welcomed and thanked Lieutenant General Suzuki Yasuhiko and the delegation of the Japan Joint Staff for attending the Vietnam International Defense Expo 2022. He affirmed that the presence of the delegation and the participation of Japanese defense enterprises contribute to the overall success of the expo.
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Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Tan Cuong (right) and Vice Chief of Staff of Japan Joint Staff Lieutenant General Suzuki Yasuhiko |
Appreciating the active participation of Japanese defense industry agencies and enterprises, the Vietnamese Chief of the General Staff said that it demonstrated the fruitful development of the cooperative relationship between the two countries.
He affirmed that the first defense expo has a very important meaning, contributing to strengthening international cooperation and defense ties between Vietnam and other countries, including Japan. Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Tan Cuong said that defense cooperation between the two countries is one of the important pillars in the bilateral relationship and has achieved practical results, including defense industry. In September 2021, within the framework of the official visit to Vietnam by the Minister of Defense of Japan, the two sides signed an agreement between the two governments on the transfer of defense equipment and technology, which is a very important basis for the two countries to continue fostering cooperation in defense industry in an intensive and substantial manner.
Admiring Japan's developed defense industry, Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Tan Cuong hoped that through the expo, Japanese defense industry agencies would share experience with Vietnam’s, opening up opportunities for cooperation in the field of defense industry of the two countries, contributing to the realization of the signed agreement.
The Vietnamese official emphasized that the Vietnamese Defense Ministry advocates developing a modern, dual-use defense industry, not only modernizing weapons and equipment, but also serving the people. Therefore, Vietnam wishes to expand cooperation with other countries and international defense industry groups to improve the defense industry capacity and modernize equipment and weapons to serve the task of safeguarding the Fatherland in all circumstances.
For his part, Lieutenant General Suzuki Yasuhiko expressed his delight at visiting Vietnam and witnessing the country’s strong recovery after the Covid-19 pandemic and highly appreciated the scale of the first Vietnam International Defense Expo, which attracts the participation of many countries and defense enterprises.
He affirmed that Japan wishes businesses and defense industry agencies of the two countries to have more opportunities for cooperation and diversification of cooperation forms and contents, such as equipment transfer, equipment research and development in order to realize the agreement signed in September 2021.
Lieutenant General Suzuki Yasuhiko said that in the new context when the security situation in the region and the world has many unpredictable changes, Japan plans to adjust its defense strategy with more emphasis on the transfer of defense equipment to strengthen relations and cooperation with other countries, contributing to peace, security, and stability in the region. In that context, Japan considers Vietnam a reliable partner.
According to the Japanese official, defense cooperation between the two countries has great potential for development in many fields, and Japan wants the Vietnamese military to send its cadets to the country to study.
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Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Tan Cuong presenting a souvenir to Lieutenant General Suzuki Yasuhiko |
Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Tan Cuong agreed with Lieutenant General Suzuki Yasuhiko’s ideas, saying that the two sides can cooperate in defense industry in different forms and assign functional agencies of two defense ministries to concretize cooperation contents signed in the September 2021 agreement.
On this occasion, through Lieutenant General Suzuki Yasuhiko, Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Tan Cuong sent his greetings to the Chief of Staff of the Japan Joint Staff and invited him to visit Vietnam in the soonest time.
Translated by Tran Hoai