Minister Phan Van Giang holds talks with Azerbaijani counterpart
VGP - Vietnamese Minister of National Defense Phan Van Giang held talks with his Azerbaijani counterpart Zakir Hasanov in Ha Noi on Thursday afternoon.
The Azerbaijani minister is on a visit to Viet Nam to attend the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day on September 2.
Phan said that Viet Nam remains consistent with its foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, friendship, cooperation and development, as well as diversification and multilateralization of external relations.
The country would also adhere to its 'four nos' defense policy: no partaking in military alliances, no siding with one country to act against another, no foreign military bases in the Vietnamese territory or using Viet Nam as leverage to counteract other countries and no using force or threatening to use force in international relations.
The two ministers agreed that defense cooperation has been promoted over the recent past, in line with state-level relations, notably in delegation exchange, defense industry, mine clearance, and engagement in multilateral forums. A Memorandum of Understanding on defense cooperation was signed as part of Vietnamese General Secretary To Lam's visit to Azerbaijan last May, contributing to bolstering bilateral collaboration more substantively and effectively.
Looking ahead, Minister Phan suggested both sides work together to expand cooperation in areas such as training, defense industry, military trade, and logistics–technical support, while exploring new cooperation domains where both countries have demand and potential. He also proposed establishing defense attaché offices in each other's country, welcomed Azerbaijani cadets to study Vietnamese at the Military Science Academy, and attend the international defense officers' course at the National Defense Academy.
Hasanov Zakir, for his part, expressed gratitude for Viet Nam's invitation and delight at the robust relations between the two countries, especially following General Secretary To's trip. He affirmed Azerbaijan's willingness to advance substantive defense cooperation with Viet Nam, contributing to the bilateral relationship between the two countries.
Concluding the talks, the two ministers signed a Letter of Intent on military personnel training cooperation./.
