During the meeting, General Phan Van Giang highly valued South Africa’s role and strategic position in Africa, congratulating the country on its achievements in the defense industry and its active participation in United Nations (U.N.) peacekeeping operations. He also commended the results of the third Vietnam - South Africa Defense Policy Dialogue and affirmed that Vietnam’s Ministry of National Defense would direct relevant agencies to implement the agreements reached during the dialogue.
General Phan Van Giang emphasized that the Vietnam - South Africa defense cooperation has consistently received attention and promotion from the leadership of both defense ministries. Notably, the implementation of the agreement on defense ties, signed in May 2006, has yielded positive outcomes in multiple areas, including dialogues, delegation exchanges, defense industry, logistics, and military medicine.
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General Phan Van Giang receiving Acting Secretary for Defense of South Africa Thobekile Gamede |
Looking ahead, General Phan Van Giang expressed his desire for both sides to deepen existing cooperation and expand collaboration into new potential areas of mutual interest. He highlighted the importance of high-level exchanges through delegation visits and dialogue mechanisms, which would facilitate strategic vision sharing and future cooperation planning. Additionally, he proposed that both sides explore the possibility of signing a Memorandum of Understanding on defense cooperation, which would serve as a crucial foundation for further practical and effective collaboration.
Acting Secretary for Defense of South Africa Thobekile Gamede expressed her gratitude to General Phan Van Giang and the leadership of the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense for their thoughtful reception. She also commended the success of the third Vietnam - South Africa Defense Policy Dialogue, where both sides agreed to continue sharing experience and enhancing cooperation in U.N. peacekeeping operations, a field in which both Vietnam and South Africa have been actively involved.
Thobekile Gamede expressed her hope that, in the future, the two countries would work closely together to strengthen cooperation in the agreed-upon areas, thereby enhancing the relationship between the two defense ministries.
Prior to this meeting, the third Vietnam - South Africa Defense Policy Dialogue took place in Hanoi, co-chaired by Vietnamese Deputy Defense Minister, Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien, and Acting Secretary for Defense of South Africa, Thobekile Gamede.
During the dialogue, Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien underscored the continued positive development of Vietnam - South Africa defense cooperation, which has been actively implemented based on the bilateral defense agreement and strategic directions set by the leadership of both defense ministries.
Some notable achievements include regular delegation exchanges, defense industry cooperation, and South Africa’s participation in the Vietnam Defense Expo in 2022 and 2024. Other key areas of collaboration are logistics, military medicine, U.N. peacekeeping operations, training, and mutual support in regional and international forums.
Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien proposed several key tasks for future cooperation, including enhancing delegation exchanges at all levels; maintaining the effectiveness of the deputy ministerial-level defense policy dialogue mechanism; expanding cooperation in the defense industry, logistics, military medicine, and training; providing support to enhance Vietnam’s U.N. peacekeeping capabilities through experience-sharing, training, and equipment provision; and continuing mutual coordination and support in regional and international forums.
Acting Secretary for Defense Thobekile Gamede acknowledged Vietnam’s role and contribution in addressing regional and global issues, as well as the positive outcomes of the bilateral defense cooperation over the past time.
She also agreed with Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien’s proposals for future cooperation. She hoped that the Vietnam - South Africa defense cooperation would continue to grow, expand, and become more practical and effective, in line with the needs and capabilities of both nations.
During the dialogue, both sides also discussed global and regional security issues of mutual concern. Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien reaffirmed Vietnam’s commitment to an independent, self-reliant, peaceful, cooperative, and development-focused foreign policy. He highlighted Vietnam's commitment to multilateralism and diversification in international relations, collaborating with countries and organizations to advance peace, cooperation, and development.
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The two sides sign the minutes of the third Vietnam - South Africa Defense Policy Dialogue. |
Regarding the East Sea (South China Sea) issue, Vietnam’s consistent stance is that all parties should adhere to international norms and laws, particularly the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982. Vietnam also advocates for full compliance with the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) and aims to expedite the conclusion of a substantive and effective Code of Conduct (COC).
At the conclusion of the dialogue, Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien and Acting Secretary for Defense Thobekile Gamede signed the minutes of the third Vietnam - South Africa Defense Policy Dialogue.
Translated by Trung Thanh