The Vietnamese delegation was led by Senior Captain Nguyen Vinh Nam, Deputy Chief of the Naval Region 4 Command, while Captain Joel C Bonavente, Deputy Chief of the Naval Forces West, headed the Philippine delegation.
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Captain Joel C Bonavente and Senior Captain Nguyen Vinh Nam (right) |
This edition, following the seventh edition held on Song Tu Tay Island (Southwest Cay) in July 2024, aimed to strengthen the friendship, cooperative ties, mutual trust and understanding between the two militaries and navies, as well as to effectively realize documents signed by the two navies.
Welcoming the Vietnamese delegation to the exchange, Captain Joel C Bonavente said that this year’s program reaffirmed the commitment of the two navies to maintaining and ensuring a peaceful environment, implementing laws-based maritime cooperation mechanisms, thereby building trust, preventing unnecessary incidents, preserving and cultivating the valuable cooperative values that both navies have built together over years.
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An overview of the meeting between the two delegations |
The Philippine head delegate underlined that exchange activities would help promote mutual understanding and trust between the two navies, actively contributing to the development of the two nations’ friendship and the maintenance of peace, stability, security and safety in the waters of each country and in the region.
In his speech, Capt. Nam expressed thanks to the Philippine Navy for the warm welcome. He confirmed that the fine friendship and cooperation between the two countries, the bilateral defense ties and the partnership between the two navies have constantly developed with good results across fields. He added that the organization of this friendship exchange demonstrated the aspiration and goodwill of the two navies in building a peaceful and stable environment in Song Tu Tay and Song Tu Dong island areas and in the East Sea (aka South China Sea). It also showed their responsibilities to strictly observe the signed cooperation agreements.
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A football match between the two naval forces |
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Naval troops of Vietnam and the Philippines in a tug-of-war game |
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Exchange activities taking place in a friendly and close atmosphere, helping boost mutual understanding between the two naval forces |
The two sides agreed to hold the ninth edition on Song Tu Tay Island at an appropriate time. They were unanimous to maintain activities to protect fishermen of the two countries, share maritime security information and warnings of natural disasters in the region.
As part of the exchange program, the two sides had sports (tug-of-war, obstacle-crossing, football), cultural, artistic, and food exchanges.
Reported by Trung Thanh
Translated by Mai Huong