Vietnam-US defence cooperation promoted

PANO – Vietnam highly values contributions of the US to the ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting Plus (ADMM+) and its support to Vietnam’s initiative to set up the ADMM-Plus Expert Working Group on Humanitarian Mine Action.

Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh, Deputy Minister of National Defence, at a reception for the visiting Admiral Samuel J. Locklear, Commander of the US Pacific Command, on December 9th stressed that the American admiral’s visit to Vietnam would contribute to promoting the friendship and mutual understanding between the two armies, in accordance with the framework of their comprehensive relations and the Memorandum of Understanding on bilateral defence cooperation, inked in July 2013 and September 2011, respectively.

The Vietnamese General added that the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence appreciated and hoped to have further support from the US Department of Defence in education and training, post-war bomb, mine and dioxin clearance, search and rescue, humanitarian assistance and overcoming natural disaster consequences, and sharing experiences in UN peacekeeping activities.

For his part, Admiral Samuel J. Locklear thanked General Vinh for his warm reception and hoped that the two sides would foster their defence cooperation in the coming time, especially on conducting delegation exchanges at all levels, sharing viewpoints on strategic issues, searching for US servicemen missing in action (MIA), and backing each other at multilateral forums.

Later in the day, Lieutenant General Vo Van Tuan, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army, and Admiral Samuel J. Locklear reviewed their defence cooperation relations in the past time, exchanged views on international and regional issues, and worked out measures to beef up their defence cooperation in the time to come.

The two sides also expressed their pleasure at achievements on defence cooperation, based on their Memorandum of Understanding on bilateral defence cooperation, and agreed to further expand their cooperation in English training for Vietnamese officers, maritime security, search and rescue, post-war bomb and mine clearance, and in undertaking UN peacekeeping operations.