PANO – General Phung Quang Thanh, Defence Minister of Vietnam, on November 6th had a talk with the visiting Japanese Defence Minister Nakatani Gen at the headquarters of the Ministry of National Defence during his four-day visit to Vietnam at the invitation of his Vietnamese counterpart.

General Phung Quang Thanh (R) receiving Japanese Defence Minister Nakatani Gen at the national defence ministry's headquarters. Photo: bqp.vn

During the talk, the two top defence officials informed each other of the development in each side’s defence policies. The Vietnamese minister congratulated the Japanese self-defence forces on their remarkable achievements over the past time, while the Japanese official expressed hope that Vietnam would continue its robust development so as to contribute more to peace and stability in the region.

The two sides spoke highly of the increasingly fine development of the Vietnam-Japan friendship and cooperation, especially after the two countries upgraded their bilateral relationship to the “broad and deep strategic partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia.”

Both officials expressed joy over the development of the bilateral defence ties since the signing of the “Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) by the two countries’ defence ministries on bilateral defence cooperation and exchange,” as well as the agreement on defence and security cooperation signed by the top leaders of Vietnam and Japan on September 15th, 2015.

The two sides at the talks. Photo: bqp.vn

General Phung Quang Thanh and his counterpart also agreed to boost high-ranking visits and exchanges between the two defence ministries, enhance the efficiency of dialogue and consultation mechanisms, promote cooperation in education and training, and effectively implement the “MoU on defence cooperation in UN peacekeeping operations”, ensuring freedom of navigation and aviation.

Apart from boosting their bilateral defence cooperation, the two sides also agreed to continue their cooperation in issues related to regional security and within the framework of international organizations and forums, especially the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM+).

The two ministers expressed pleasure at the results of the visit and shared the same view that the visit has contributed and will continue to contribute to significantly enhancing the friendship and cooperation between the ministries of defence of the two countries.

As scheduled, the Japanese official will leave Vietnam on November 7th.

Translated by Huu Duong