The Vietnamese delegation was welcomed by General Mao Vibol, Deputy Director of the General Department of Policy and Foreign Affairs of Cambodia at the airport.

The same day, the Vietnamese deputy defense minister had a bilateral meeting with heads of Cambodian and Singaporean delegations ahead of ADSOM and ADSOM+.

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Deputy Defense Minister Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien (L) and Director of the General Department of Policy and Foreign Affairs of Cambodia General Nem Sowat

At the meeting with Director of the General Department of Policy and Foreign Affairs of Cambodia General Nem Sowat, the two sides highly appreciated the bilateral defense cooperation over the past time, especially the success of the 5th Vietnam-Cambodia Defense Policy Dialogue and the freshly-ended first Vietnam-Cambodia Border Defense Friendship Exchange. They affirmed that these activities have contributed to popularizing the traditional friendship between the two countries to their people and troops.

The heads of the two delegations agreed that in the coming time the two sides will closely coordinate to effectively carry out contents in the defense cooperation plan in 2022, especially contents reached at the first border defense friendship exchange.

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During the meeting

Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien congratulated the Cambodian Defense Ministry and the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces on successful chair of online meetings of ASEAN. General Chien affirmed that the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense will support Cambodia to fulfill its role as ASEAN Chair in 2022. He strongly believed that the upcoming election in Cambodia will  be a success.

At the meeting with Singaporean Permanent Secretary of the Defense Ministry Chan Heng Kee, the two officials spoke highly of two defense ministries’ good friendship which has been proved by the effective implementation of cooperation contents, including the signing of an agreement on bilateral defense cooperation in February 2022. This vital document has created a foundation for extensive and effective cooperation between the two defense ministries in the coming time.

During the conversation, the Vietnamese deputy defense minister said that the two sides should continue maintaining consultations and mutual support at multilateral activities.

Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien conveyed Vietnamese Defense Minister General Phan Van Giang’s invitation to Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen to visit Vietnam in an appropriate time in 2022. He said that Vietnam has received the invitation to attend the Shangri-La Dialogue in June and will consider sending its mission to the event.

Reported by Thu Trang (from Phnom Penh, Cambodia)

Translated by Tran Hoai