PANO - Deputy Minister of National Defence, Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh, and Mr. Peter Baxter, Deputy Secretary for Australian Strategy Department of Defence, co-chaired a deputy ministerial-level defence policy dialogue between Vietnam and Australia on November 19th in Canberra.

The two sides reviewed the implementation of defence cooperation over the past five years and highly valued their achievements in various fields, according to the "Memorandum of Understanding on defense cooperation" signed in 2010, one of the key contents in the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.

Sr. Lt. Gen. Nguyen Chi Vinh

During the meeting, both sides agreed to maintain the existing dialogue mechanism, improve delegation exchange at all levels and boost English training program for the UN peacekeeping forces in Vietnam. Besides, they urged their constituent units to cooperate on overcoming war consequences and counter-terrorism, as well as pledged to boost bilateral cooperation at multilateral forums, especially in the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM+).

They also exchanged views on regional and global security issues of mutual concerns to ensure a peaceful and stable region. They agreed to set up a joint team to effectively realize the commitments that were made during the dialogue.

On this occasion, Deputy Minister Vinh conveyed the invitation of General Phung Quang Thanh, Vietnamese Minister of National Defence, to Australian Minister for Defence, Mr. David Johnston, to visit Vietnam at an appropriate time.

Translated by Trung Thanh