At the dialogue co-chaired by Vietnamese Deputy Defense Minister Nguyen Chi Vinh and his RoK counterpart Park Jae-min, the two sides exchanged views on security situations in the region and world and international issues of mutual concern, with the aim of promoting mutual understanding and trust between the two countries.
They also reviewed the outcomes of defense cooperation over the past time and agreed to promote the bilateral defense relations with a focus on high-level delegation exchanges, defense industry cooperation, war aftermath relief, maritime security and activities related to United Nations peacekeeping operations. The Vietnamese and Rok deputy defense ministers reached consensus on some new cooperation contents, such as cyber security, cultural and art exchange, military sports and high-record sports.
Regarding bilateral cooperation in multilateral cooperation mechanisms, the two sides agreed to enhance information exchange, consultations and coordination at multilateral forums, particularly the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM+), ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), East Asia Forum (EAF), Shangri La, Seoul Dialogue and ASEAN-RoK Deputy Defense Ministers’ Meeting, among others.
General Vinh affirmed, Vietnam always supports the RoK’s active and responsible participation in multilateral security cooperation mechanisms to contribute to peace, stability and development in the region and the world. Meanwhile, the RoK side pledged to support Vietnam’s preparation for and organization of defense-military events in 2020 as the country will undertake the Chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
During the visit to RoK, General Vinh paid a courtesy visit to the RoK Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo, during which he extended Vietnamese Defense Minister Ngo Xuan Lich’s invitation to visit Vietnam. He also met with the head of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) and the President of the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), and visited the country’s peacekeeping training unit.
Translated by Tran Hoai