August 03, 2017 | 23:03 (GMT+7)
Vietnam to enhance defense ties with Canada and Australia
PANO - General Ngo Xuan Lich, member of the Politburo, Deputy Secretary of the Central Military Commission, and Minister of National Defense hosted receptions for Canadian and Australian Ambassadors to Vietnam Ping Kitnicone and Craig Chittick on August 2 at the headquarters of the Ministry of National Defense.
Gen. Lich (R) and Canadian Ambassador Ping Kitnicone
At the reception for Canadian Ambassador Ping Kitnicone, General Lich asserted that with the two defense ministries’ efforts and the help of the Canadian Embassy in Hanoi, the bilateral defense ties have been increasingly enhanced, particularly in potential fields like defense industry. He suggested the two sides continue strengthening delegation exchange at all levels and meetings on the sidelines of international forums and improve cooperation in maritime security, counter-terrorism, and United Nations (UN) peacekeeping operations.
Gen. Lich (R) and Australian Ambassador Craig Chittick
Receiving the Australian ambassador, the host highly valued the support of the Australian Government for Vietnam in English training programs and UN peacekeeping operations. He underlined that the Ministry of National Defense of Vietnam pledged to collaborate with partners to develop the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting Plus (ADMM+) as a leading security mechanism in the region.
For his part, Ambassador Craig Chittick applauded Vietnam’s role in maintaining global and regional peace and stability and stressed that the defense - security cooperation will be a major pillar of the two countries’ relationship. He also noted that the Australian Minister for Defense will visit Vietnam in late this month while Australian Prime Minister will be in Vietnam in November to attend the APEC summit in Da Nang city. These visits are expected to contribute to accelerating friendship and mutual understanding between Vietnam and Australia, he added.
Translated by Trung Thanh