Chief of the General Staff and Deputy Defense Minister General Nguyen Tan Cuong highly valued those achievements at the talks with Chief of Staff of the Philippine Armed Forces General Romeo S. Brawner Jr. on June 3 in Hanoi. He also noted the close coordination and mutual support between the two countries at ASEAN-led mechanisms and international events hosted by each side.
    |
 |
|
General Nguyen Tan Cuong and General Romeo S. Brawner Jr. view photographs highlighting bilateral defense cooperation. |
|
|
 |
|
General Nguyen Tan Cuong at the talks |
|
|
 |
|
General Nguyen Tan Cuong and members of the Vietnamese delegation at the event |
|
|
 |
|
General Romeo S. Brawner Jr. at the event |
|
|
 |
|
General Romeo S. Brawner Jr. and members of the Philippine delegation at the talks |
During the talks, General Nguyen Tan Cuong emphasized that General Romeo S. Brawner Jr.’s visit comes shortly after Vietnam and the Philippines elevated their relationship to an Enhanced Strategic Partnership and after the defense ministers of both countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding on defense cooperation. He noted that the visit demonstrates the pro-active efforts of both militaries to implement the common understanding reached by senior leaders and further advance bilateral military and defense ties. It is also a practical activity to mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the bilateral ties (July 12, 1976 – 2026).
The Vietnamese general expressed satisfaction with the growing cooperation between the two countries in politics, diplomacy, defense and security, economic-trade, people-to-people exchanges, and coordination at multilateral forums.
He congratulated the Philippines on successfully hosting major meetings as ASEAN Chair in 2026 and reaffirmed Vietnam’s support for the Philippines in fulfilling its responsibilities as ASEAN Chair and as co-chair of the ADMM-Plus Experts’ Working Group on Maritime Security for the 2024–2027 cycle.
For his part, General Romeo S. Brawner Jr. said he was pleased to visit Vietnam and described the trip as a continuation of the positive outcomes of General Secretary and President To Lam’s recent state visit to the Philippines, as well as ASEAN defense and military meetings hosted by the Philippines in 2026. He reaffirmed the importance the Philippines attaches to defense cooperation with Vietnam and pledged to work closely with Vietnam to further strengthen bilateral defense ties, contributing to regional security and prosperity.
|
|
 |
|
General Nguyen Tan Cuong hands over a souvenir to General Romeo S. Brawner Jr. |
Looking ahead, both sides agreed to deepen substantive and comprehensive cooperation and effectively implement the newly signed Memorandum of Understanding on defense cooperation. Priority areas include high-level exchanges and contacts, defense policy dialogue, service-to-service cooperation, exchanges between arms, services, and young officers, professional experience sharing, coordination in handling incidents at sea, human resource training, defense industry cooperation, logistics, military medicine, search and rescue, cybersecurity, United Nations peacekeeping operations, and cooperation between strategic research institutions.
The two sides also agreed to continue consultations and mutual support in maintaining ASEAN’s common positions on regional and international security issues.
|
|
 |
|
General Romeo S. Brawner Jr. writes in the guest book at the headquarters of Vietnam’s Ministry of National Defense. |
General Nguyen Tan Cuong invited the Philippine Department of National Defense to continue sending officers to Vietnam for Vietnamese-language training programs and the international defense officials course. He also welcomed exchanges between military academies and educational institutions of the two countries and expressed hope that the Armed Forces of the Philippines would continue supporting English-language training for officers of the Vietnam People’s Army.
On the occasion, General Nguyen Tan Cuong invited General Romeo S. Brawner Jr. and a high-level Philippine military delegation to attend the third Vietnam Defense Expo, scheduled to take place in Hanoi later this year. He would also welcome Philippine defense companies to showcase their products at the exhibition.
|
|
 |
|
General Nguyen Tan Cuong and General Romeo S. Brawner Jr. |
During the talks, the two sides exchanged views on regional and international developments and other issues of mutual concern. General Nguyen Tan Cuong reaffirmed Vietnam’s consistent foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralization and diversification of external relations, and being a friend, a reliable partner and a responsible member of the international community while adhering to its “Four Nos” defense policy.
Regarding the East Sea (or South China Sea) issue, General Nguyen Tan Cuong reiterated Vietnam’s consistent position that all disputes should be resolved through peaceful means in accordance with international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982. He called for the full and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and the early conclusion of an effective and substantive Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) consistent with international law.
Earlier, a solemn welcome ceremony was held for General Romeo S. Brawner Jr. and the delegation of the Philippine Armed Forces under the chair of General Nguyen Tan Cuong.
Translated by Tran Hoai