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Participants pose for a group photo at a ceremony to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Vietnam People's Army in the East Asian nation. |
The event drew many Japanese officials, including Defense Minister Nakatani Gen, along with ambassadors and defense attachés from various nations; as well as representatives of the Vietnamese community in Japan.
Addressing the event, Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Pham Quang Hieu highlighted the heroic 80-year history of the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) and the military’s proud legacy, rooted in Vietnam's millennia-old tradition of nation-building and defense, as well as significant contribution by the VPA to peace and stability in the region and the world.
The ambassador underlined successes in Vietnam’s international integration and defense diplomacy, which have not only achieved substantial breakthroughs but also created favorable international conditions for national development and security. Vietnam has established defense ties with over 100 countries and has been participating in United Nations peacekeeping missions since 2014, he noted.
Regarding defense ties with Japan, Ambassador Hieu described the bilateral defense relationship as a cornerstone of the broader Vietnam-Japan partnership, becoming a bright spot in bilateral relations.
Along with maintaining regular visits and delegation exchanges, including the visit by Japan’s Defense Minister to Vietnam in August, the two sides have maintained cooperation mechanisms such as the Deputy Ministerial-level Defense Policy Dialogue. Both sides have signed numerous defense cooperation agreements and strengthened ties in areas such as post-war recovery efforts, training, military medicine, search and rescue operations, and U.N. peacekeeping missions. The two sides have also coordinated closely within the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM+), noted the diplomat.
He said that upgrading bilateral relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership has provided fresh momentum for multifaceted cooperation, including defense. He expressed his confidence that Vietnam-Japan defense collaboration will continue to flourish, contributing to peace and prosperity in the region and beyond.
Meanwhile, Colonel Nguyen Thai Son, Vietnam’s Defense Attaché in Japan, underlined the VPA's evolution over 80 years as a revolutionary force born from the people and for the people, steadfast in its loyalty to the Party, the State, and the people. He affirmed defense diplomacy as a pillar of Vietnam’s broader foreign policy, enhancing trust, fostering international friendships, and elevating Vietnam's global stature.
Underscoring that defense cooperation is an important pillar and a motivation of the Vietnam-Japan ties, Son referred to the 2018 Joint Vision Statement on Defense Cooperation, which serves as a legal framework for expanding and deepening collaboration. This foundation has enabled regular delegation exchanges, effective annual Defense Policy Dialogues, and robust multilateral cooperation, especially within the ADMM+.
He said that at the talks between the Defense Ministers of Vietnam and Japan in Hanoi in August, the two sides agreed to continue to effectively maintain bilateral defense cooperation mechanisms.
For his part, Japanese Defense Minister Nakatani Gen expressed his admiration for the VPA, and reviewed cooperation periods with the Ministry of National Defense of Vietnam.
At the bilateral defense meeting in August, both sides agreed to further strengthen cooperation across multiple domains, underpinned by the trust built through direct dialogue, he said. He expressed his hope that this trust will continue to be further expanded.
Source: VNA