At the meeting, the visiting Vietnamese Defense Minister thanked Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for the warm reception, and conveyed the regards from Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc to the Japanese Prime Minister.
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Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe welcoming Vietnamese Defense Minister General Ngo Xuan Lich |
The host welcomed the Vietnamese Defense Minister to Japan on his first official visit to the country, especially when the two countries are celebrating 45 years of the establishment of diplomatic ties. He underscored that Japan attaches much importance to promoting multifaceted relations with Vietnam as well as expanding the Japan-Vietnam Strategic Partnership.
The Japanese Prime Minister applauded the Joint Vision on Defense Cooperation, with major orientations for bilateral defense cooperation in the next decade, newly signed by the two defense ministries. He said that the relationship between Vietnam and Japan has been more successful than ever before, and hoped that the two sides continue to boost cooperation in the fields of defense, diplomacy, economics and people-to-people exchange.
Recalling the Vietnam visit of the Japanese Emperor and Empress last year, the Japanese Prime Minister once again thanked the Vietnamese Party, State and people for the fine reception for the Japanese Head of State. He also released that the Japanese Emperor was touched by the sincere sentiments and warm welcome offered by the Vietnamese people to him during his Vietnam visit.
For his part, General Lich emphasized that Vietnam and Japan are the two Asian nations that have enjoyed traditional friendship as well as similarities in culture, living customs and practices.
Japan, which is among Vietnam’s major trade and economic partners and takes the lead in offering official development assistance (ODA) to Vietnam, has contributed largely to the country’s socio-economic development.
“The Vietnamese Government and people always attach much importance to cementing comprehensive and practical relations with Japan”, General Lich underscored.
He also said that the year of 2017 has been considered a milestone in the history of the Vietnam-Japan relationship when it saw the first-ever Vietnam visit of the Japanese Emperor and Empress as well as the two official visits of both prime ministers to the other country.
He affirmed that Vietnam always highly appreciates and supports Japan’s ideas in multilateral forums, encourages the country to promote cooperation with ASEAN countries and the bloc as a whole, and wishes the country to further contribute to regional peace, security and stability.
General Lich briefed the Japanese Prime Minister on the outcomes of the official meeting between the two defense ministers held earlier, emphasizing that the signing of the Joint Vision on Defense Cooperation will help bolster bilateral defense cooperation for more practical and better outcomes. He hoped that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe would continue to support and create favorable conditions for the bilateral defense cooperation.
Reported by Thu Trang from Tokyo, Japan
Translated by Thu Nguyen