The event was attended by Defense Minister General Phan Van Giang, Chief of the General Staff and Deputy Defense Minister Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Tan Cuong, and Deputy Defense Ministers Senior Lieutenant General Le Huy Vinh and Senior Lieutenant General Pham Hoai Nam.
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Defense Minister General Phan Van Giang (left) attends the event. |
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An overview of the exchange |
The event also witnessed the participation of leaders of the General Staff and the General Department of Political Affairs of the Vietnam People’s Army, representatives of seven countries participating in the “Vietnam Coast Guard and friends” program, defense attachés to Vietnam, and delegates from Hanoi offices of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
At the event, Major General Le Quang Dao, Chief of the Vietnam Coast Guard Command, had discussions with Deputy Secretary of the National Committee for Maritime Security of Cambodia Vice Admiral Kruoch Kimthon, Chief of the China Coast Guard Major General Yu Zhong, Deputy Commandant for Operations of the Philippine Coast Guard Vice Admiral Rolando Lizor Narag Punzalan, Deputy for Policy and Strategy under the Indonesian Maritime Security Board Rear Admiral Tatit Eko Witjaksono, Assistant Secretary of Thai Maritime Enforcement Command Center (Thai-MECC) Vice Admiral Khwanchai Inkwang, and Malaysian defense attaché to Vietnam Colonel Ahmad Jais bin Tasliman.
During his discussions, Major General Le Quang Dao reviewed cooperation between the Vietnam Coast Guard and its counterparts as well as mapped out orientations for coordination in the time to come.
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Major General Le Quang Dao (second from right), Vice Admiral Kruoch Kimthon (first from right), and Major General Yu Zhong at the discussion |
Sharing at the event, Major General Le Quang Dao said that the Vietnam Coast Guard has closely followed the direction of the Central Military Commission and the Ministry of National Defense; comprehensively and synchronously deployed all aspects of its assigned missions; regularly organized patrols, inspection, control and maintenance to ensure security and order at sea; effectively fought against maritime crimes; regularly shared information and actively coordinated with the maritime law enforcement forces of countries in the region to handle emerging security issues.
In addition, the Vietnam Coast Guard has actively responded to non-traditional security threats and search and rescue missions at sea while sending personnel to join refresher courses held by regional maritime law enforcement forces to better perform the common tasks, he added.
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Major General Le Quang Dao (center) at the discussion with Vice Admiral Rolando Lizor Narag Punzalan, Rear Admiral Tatit Eko Witjaksono, and Vice Admiral Khwanchai Inkwang |
He underlined that the Vietnam Coast Guard has always considered international cooperation and defense diplomacy as an extremely important and decisive mission to its success in all fields, with a long-term sustainability.
The "Vietnam Coast Guard and friends" program is an initiative of the Vietnam Coast Guard to concretize the policies and viewpoints of the Central Military Commission and the Ministry of National Defense of Vietnam on international cooperation and defense external affairs. This activity is significant to the enhancement of solidarity, friendship and closeness among maritime law enforcement forces of countries in the region, especially countries with adjacent waters, contributing to creating strategic trust to build a sea of security, safety, solidarity, friendship and cooperation, the Vietnam Coast Guard chief stated.
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An art performance at the program |
For their parts, representatives of the regional maritime law enforcement forces said that the geographical proximity, especially the common desire to create a peaceful maritime environment and sustainable development, is the "glue" that binds them together. This is an opportunity for the regional maritime law enforcement forces to enhance exchange and experience sharing, contributing to building trust and creating high consensus in performing their tasks at sea. In addition, leaders of the regional maritime law enforcement forces also expressed their wish to continue extensive cooperation in areas, including training, joint patrol, law dissemination, environmental protection, search and rescue, contributing to maintaining security and safety at sea.
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Defense Minister General Phan Van Giang (fourth from left) presents flowers to leaders of the regional maritime law enforcement forces at the exchange. |
Within the framework of the exchange program, from December 8 to 10, the regional maritime law enforcement forces had major activities in Hanoi such as paying courtesy calls on the Vietnamese Minister of National Defense, holding bilateral exchanges, visiting the Vietnam International Defense Expo 2022 and learning more about Vietnamese history and culture, and so on. Their good impressions after joining these activities are important premises for the organization of the exchange program in the following years, contributing to connecting regional friends, joining hands for a sea of peace and sustainable development.
Translated by Trung Thanh