Addressing the event, Lieutenant General Vu Chien Thang, the department’s Director, affirmed that defense external relations service is one of the important missions of the military and an important part in foreign affairs of the Party and nation.
Founded in 1950 in Vietnam’s revolutionary base, the department’s name was changed several times. Its key missions still remain making recommendations for the Central Military Commission and the MoD to deal with issues related to military and defense external affairs and conducting defense relations.
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General Ngo Xuan Lich speaks at the event. |
In recent years, the department has effectively promoted its staff work and contributed important ideas on strategic issues, including defense and security, international integration, and protection of national sovereignty over the seas and islands
In addition, the unit also made great contributions to fostering bilateral defense cooperation and setting up multilateral defense relations, signed many important international agreements, and compiled many legal documents on defense external affairs.
In acknowledgement of its achievements over the past time, the Party and State presented many noble titles to the unit’s groups and individuals. Most recently, the President signed a decision on May 13, 2019 to honor the department with the “Hero of the People’s Armed Forces” title.
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Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh presents the title to the department. |
Delivering a speech at the ceremony, General Ngo Xuan Lich, Minister of National Defense, recognized the unit’s recorded achievements, its strong development, and glorious tradition made by generations of the department’s staff over the past years. He affirmed that the achievements in defense external relations continued affirming the sound foreign policy and guidelines of the Party and State.
The Defense Minister asked the department to continue its recorded results and proactively make recommendations on defense external relations, security, and foreign relations. He urged the unit to effectively implement resolutions and directives of the Party, State, Central Military Commission and Defense Ministry, promote information dissemination, and complete legal documents on international integration activities and defense external relations.
He also stressed the need to strengthen international integration on defense field to ensure that defense external relations service is an important pillar of foreign relations activities of the Party and State for the interests of the nation, contributing to raising the position of Vietnam in general and Vietnamese military in particular in the international arena and maintaining peace and stability in the country.
At the ceremony, Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh presented the title to the department.
Translated by Tran Hoai