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Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien and Mr. Chan Heng Kee |
The meeting aimed to evaluate the outcomes of bilateral defense cooperation over the past time since the 13th Defense Policy Dialogue in November, 2022 and exchanged and agreed on orientation for defense cooperation in the coming time.
At the dialogue, General Chien emphasized that 2023 is a special year when the two countries celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations and 10 years of the strategic partnership. Based on the good relationship, the defense cooperation has become increasingly substantive and effective.
For his part, Mr. Chan Heng Kee emphasized the significance of the year 2023 to the Singapore - Vietnam relations and said that bilateral defense cooperation has substantially contributed to the strategic partnership. He evaluated that the bilateral defense ties have continued developing strongly, especially since the signing of the agreement on bilateral defense cooperation in February, 2022 and the cooperation plan for the 2023-2025 period in November the same year.
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The two delegations at the meeting |
At the event, the two sides discussed the international and regional situations and issues of common concern and highly valued the role of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and ASEAN-led mechanisms.
The Vietnamese side emphasized Vietnam’s consistent foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, friendship, multilateralisation and diversification of external relations, and the “four nos” defense policy (no military alliances, no siding with one country against another, no foreign military bases or use of the Vietnamese territory to oppose other countries, and no use of force or threat to use force in international relations).
Regarding the East Sea (or South China) issue, General Chien said that Vietnam’s consistent viewpoint is to persistently resolve differences by peaceful means and on the basis of international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982.
The two officials said that on the basis of the signed documents and agreements, bilateral defense cooperation has continued to be effectively carried out and obtained positive results. The two sides have effectively maintained exchange of delegations at all levels, consultation and dialogue mechanisms; fostered training cooperation; promoted experience and information sharing; organized young officers’ exchanges; strengthened cooperation between services and arms.
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An overview of the dialogue |
The two sides agreed to strive to promote the bilateral defense ties in the coming time, focusing on increasing delegation exchanges at all levels, especially high-level ones, to consult each other and share viewpoints on issues of common concern and cooperation orientations in a timely manner; continuing to perfect cooperation frameworks and mechanisms; boosting personnel training and collaboration between the countries’ naval and air forces; promoting cooperation in potential fields, such as cyber security, digital transformation, military medicine, defense industry; supporting each other at ASEAN-led forums and multilateral mechanisms.
On this occasion, General Chien invited leaders of the Singaporean Ministry of Defense and Singaporean businesses to attend the Vietnam International Defense Expo 2024.
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Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien and Mr. Chan Heng Kee witnessing the signing of the memorandum of understanding on cooperation in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief |
Concluding the dialogue, Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien and Mr. Chan Heng Kee witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief between the Office of the National Committee for Incident and Disaster Response, Search and Rescue of Vietnam and the Regional Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Coordination Center of Singapore.
Translated by Tran Hoai