Minister Phan Van Giang affirmed that Vietnam always attaches importance to its relationship with New Zealand and highly values the country's potential and position in both regional and international arenas. He noted that the two countries share many common views and interests in maintaining peace, stability, and development in the region and globally, based on respect for the interests of all nations and adherence to international law. He emphasized that the upcoming upgrade of bilateral relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership in February 2025 will mark an important milestone, opening up new cooperation opportunities in various fields, including defense.

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General Phan Van Giang holds a bilateral meeting with Minister Judith Collins.

Minister Phan Van Giang stated that bilateral defense cooperation has achieved positive results in recent years, particularly in delegation exchanges, dialogue and consultations, training, United Nations peacekeeping, and maritime security. With 2025 marking the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and New Zealand, he expressed hope that the two defense ministries would implement practical and effective cooperative activities to contribute to this significant occasion.

For her part, Minister Judith Collins emphasized that Vietnam is one of New Zealand’s priorities in the Southeast Asia region. She affirmed New Zealand’s desire to deepen its relationship with Vietnam across all fields, including defense, contributing to peace, stability, and prosperous development in the region and beyond.

Both ministers agreed to strengthen existing areas of bilateral defense cooperation while exploring potential new fields such as cybersecurity, military medicine, and the defense industry. These efforts aim to concretize and advance the goals of the Vietnam–New Zealand Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

Translated by Minh Anh