During the conversation, General Vinh informed the Indian side about the COVID-19 prevention and control situations in Vietnam, affirming the core and pioneering role of the Vietnam People’s Army in the fight against the pandemic.
He also highlighted that amid the complicated development of the COVID-19 pandemic, Vietnam has tried its best to keep up with all of the important activities and programs of the countries, especially in defense cooperation. So far, Vietnam has organized several important events, including the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting Retreat (ADMM Retreat) and welcoming a U.S. aircraft carrier, to name but a few.
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Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh |
Furthermore, after the COVID-19 outbreak, military-defense programs were held in the form of teleconference by the country.
General Vinh conveyed Vietnamese Defense Minister General Ngo Xuan Lich’s greeting and invitation to the Indian Defense Minister to visit Vietnam to take part in the ASEAN Defense Minister’s Meeting Plus (ADMM+) at the end of the year.
In addition, he affirmed Vietnam is ready to attend the upcoming 13th Vietnam-India Defense Policy Dialogue, scheduled to take place this year.
For his part, Secretary Ajay Kumar congratulated Vietnam on its success in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, expressing his sincere thanks to the Vietnamese government and people for their medical support amid the COVID-19 outbreak.
The Indian defense leader also lauded the Vietnamese Government and Defense Ministry for successfully organizing important activities and events as Hanoi takes on its role as the 2020 ASEAN Chair and a non-permanent member of the United Nations (U.N.) Security Council for 2020-2021, committing to wholeheartedly support Vietnam to fulfil its missions in the coming time.
On this occasion, the two sides reviewed their bilateral defense cooperation, affirming it is an important pillar in the traditional friendship and comprehensive strategic partnership between Vietnam and India. They also agreed to continue promoting cooperation in many other fields, such as military medicine, U.N. peacekeeping, and defense industry, among others.
In multilateral cooperation, General Vinh asked for the Indian side to support Vietnam to accomplish its missions as the 2020 ASEAN Chair and a non-permanent member of the U.N. Security Council.
Translated by Minh Anh