According to reports, in Q1 the Ministry of National Defense offered good advice to leaders of the Party and State on important issues with the aim of maintaining a stable and peaceful environment for the national socio-economic development, and contributing to regional security.
The ministry also implemented defense foreign affairs missions in line with the plan, contributing to promoting trust of foreign countries and international organizations in the country as well as firmly protecting national sovereignty and territorial integrity while improving the status of the country and military in the international arena, and supporting the building of a regular and modern army.
According to delegates at the meeting, bilateral defense foreign relations were conducted in line with the foreign policies of the Party and State as well as the directions of the Ministry of National Defense, and within the framework of agreements signed between Vietnam and other countries.
Meanwhile, the country’s bilateral defense relations with its neighbors of Laos, Cambodia and China were continuously promoted while focusing on improving the efficiency and practical outcomes of every area of defense cooperation, with the aim of improving mutual understanding and political trust, contributing to firmly protecting the national territorial sovereignty and building a borderline of peace, friendship, cooperation and development.
Vietnam also expanded bilateral defense cooperation with ASEAN countries for practical and effective outcomes, which served as a firm basis to cement multilateral defense cooperation in the region.
Furthermore, the country stepped up bilateral defense cooperation reasonably with major powers in terms of military and defense industry, namely Russia, France, the UK, India, Japan, Australia and the US, while maintaining traditional defense ties with Cuba, Ukraine and Belarus and so on, in order to improve its defense capabilities.
In multilateral defense relations, the Vietnamese Defense Ministry and its subordinate agencies and units under the leadership of the Party and State implemented cooperation activities within regional mechanisms as well as joined regional efforts to promote ties between ASEAN and its partners.
The Defense Ministry also increased Vietnam’s participation in UN peacekeeping operations, and boosted international cooperation to improve its capacity to participate in UN peacekeeping operations.
At this point of time, Vietnam has well prepared the personnel, in terms of both expertise and equipment of a level-2 field hospital and is ready to deploy it to a UN peacekeeping mission when requested.
Regarding the orientation for defense foreign relations in the second quarter of 2018, delegates at the meeting underscored the need to closely follow the Resolution of the 12th National Party Congress while thoroughly embracing situational developments in the region and world so as to suggest to the Party and State to deal with relations and defense cooperation with other countries in a timely and suitable manner.
The defense foreign affairs sector should promote coordination with Party and State foreign agencies to prepare sufficiently all contents of defense cooperation for foreign visits of Party and State leaders as well as visits of leaders of other countries.
At the same time, the sector should seek approaches to step up bilateral defense cooperation while actively participating in multilateral defense mechanisms.
It should, furthermore work actively with the UN and other partners to deploy the first Vietnamese level-2 field hospital and sapper company to a UN peacekeeping mission as planned.
It should work with the US side to accelerate the Bien Hoa Airport’s dioxin detoxification project.
Finally, the defense foreign affairs sector was asked to enhance dissemination of information about all defense cooperation projects both at home and overseas.
Translated by Thu Nguyen