The meeting took place in the context of the increasingly substantive and effective development of Vietnam - Australia relations, in which defense cooperation continues to be strengthened and expanded, becoming one of the key pillars of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries. 

leftcenterrightdel
A view of the working session

General Minh noted that the Vietnamese Government has, in recent years, implemented various measures to search for, gather, and verify the remains of fallen soldiers. Among these efforts, expanding international cooperation is an important solution, helping Vietnam obtain additional sources of information and documentation related to soldiers who sacrificed their lives during wartime.

He proposed that the Australian Department of Defense instruct relevant agencies to continue collecting, sharing, and providing information regarding Vietnamese soldiers killed in action, missing in action, or going without contact in the past. He also requested Australia’s assistance in sharing experience and applying modern technology to analyzing and extracting archived data to serve the search, recovery, and verification of martyrs’ remains.

Assistant Minister Peter Khalil emphasized that Vietnam is an important partner of Australia, and that the two countries share strategic interests and common concerns regarding the search for military personnel missing in action. Supporting Vietnam in addressing the consequences of war, including the search, collection, and identification of fallen soldiers’ remains, is a task of profound humanitarian significance, contributing to enhancing mutual trust and advancing bilateral cooperation.

He reaffirmed that Australia will continue to accompany and support Vietnam in accelerating the progress of this work, while also expressing the desire to further deepen bilateral defense cooperation in a manner that serves the needs and interests of both sides.

Translated by Chung Anh