November 17, 2019 | 21:31 (GMT+7)
Vietnam promotes defense cooperation with Thailand, Indonesia
PANO – Vietnamese Defense Minister General Ngo Xuan Lich met with the Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand and the Indonesian Defense Minister on November 16 while leading a high-ranking military delegation to attend the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) Retreat and the sixth ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM+) in Bangkok, Thailand.
At the meeting with Thai Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan, General Ngo Xuan Lich congratulated the Ministry of Defense and the Royal Thai Army on successfully organizing a series of defense conferences as the 2019 ASEAN chairman. He believed that the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) Retreat and the sixth ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM+) organized by the Thai Ministry of Defense will be successful.
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General Ngo Xuan Lich met with Thai Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan |
Deputy Minister Prawit Wongsuwan thanked Vietnam's support for Thailand as the 2019 ASEAN Chair, affirmed that Thailand will actively participate and support the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense to successfully organize defense and military conferences as the ASEAN Chair in 2020.
The two sides agreed that in the face of the region’s challenges, maintaining the ASEAN's central role in regional cooperation mechanisms, including ADMM+, is an important task.
During a meeting between General Ngo Xuan Lich and Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subian, the two sides expressed their delight at the development of the bilateral defense cooperation over the past time, especially in delegation exchanges, training cooperation, and strategic research. In particular, the first Vietnam - Indonesia Defense Policy Dialogue organized by the two sides in June this year opened a new cooperation mechanism between the two countries.
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General Ngo Xuan Lich (L) and Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subian |
The two defense ministers also reached consensus that on the basis of the Vietnam-Indonesia strategic partnership, the two countries should continue to promote their defense cooperation, take full advantage of potential and strengths of each country. They should also closely cooperate with each other to handle cases of fishermen's violations in each other's waters humanely while complying with international law, as well as Indonesian and Vietnamese laws.
At the event, General Lich also introduces a number of important activities that the Ministry of National Defense of Vietnam will organize in 2020.
For his part, Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto vowed that Indonesia will support Vietnam in implementing activities in the ASEAN Chair Year 2020.
Translated by Song Anh