During the meeting, the Vietnamese Defense Minister congratulated the Canadian diplomat on the successful completion of his tenure in Vietnam and expressed confidence that, in his new role, the ambassador would continue to make significant contributions to strengthening the comprehensive partnership between Vietnam and Canada in general, and bilateral defense cooperation in particular.
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Genera Phan Van Giang and Ambassador Shawn Steil at the meeting |
The Vietnamese defense leader affirmed that Vietnam always values its cooperative relationship with Canada. He expressed his delight at the positive, in-depth, and substantive development of bilateral ties across various fields, in line with the interests of both countries and contributing to regional and global peace, stability, and development.
General Giang emphasized that during Ambassador Steil’s tenure, the Ministries of National Defense of both countries effectively implemented cooperative activities under signed agreements, including the 2019 Memorandum of Understanding on defense cooperation and the three-year Defense Cooperation Plan for the 2024–2026 period. Key areas of collaboration included delegation exchanges; dialogues and consultations; training; maritime security; the defense industry; United Nations peacekeeping operations; war legacy settlement; and multilateral cooperation.
On this occasion, the Vietnamese Defense Minister extended his sincere thanks to the Canadian Ministry of National Defense for sending a senior delegation to attend the Vietnam Defense Expo 2024, contributing to the overall success of the event.
Regarding future cooperation, General Giang proposed that the two defense ministries continue to closely coordinate in areas such as delegation exchanges at all levels, particularly high-level visits; the effective maintenance of dialogue and consultation mechanisms; training; the defense industry; search and rescue; border management; war legacy settlement; U.N. peacekeeping operations; and mutual consultation within multilateral defense and security mechanisms.
He added that, based on the outcomes of the third Vietnam–Canada Defense Policy Dialogue held in February 2025, the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense will continue to direct relevant agencies to work closely with their Canadian counterparts to effectively implement agreed-upon cooperation activities. These efforts will align with the overall bilateral relationship, the actual situation, and the needs and capabilities of both sides.
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Genera Phan Van Giang hands over a souvenir to Ambassador Shawn Steil. |
Ambassador Shawn Steil thanked the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense for its support throughout his tenure in Vietnam. He also expressed his pleasure that defense cooperation has become a highlight of the Vietnam–Canada relationship.
Sharing his positive impressions of Vietnam’s recent development, Ambassador Steil expressed hope that both sides will further strengthen defense cooperation in the agreed-upon areas, thereby contributing to the continued growth of the comprehensive partnership between Vietnam and Canada.
Translated by Tran Hoai