Deputy Defense Minister busy on Shangri-La Dialogue sidelines

Meeting with Permanent Secretary of the Singaporean Ministry of National Defence Chan Heng Kee, Hoang urged the two sides to promote the agreements reached since the two countries' defence policy dialogue in 2023 and step up cooperation in personnel training, search and rescue, and digital transformation.

He also suggested extension of the working period of Viet Nam's liaison offers at Singapore's Information Fusion Center (IFC).

Chan took in the Vietnamese side's proposals and said Singapore would discuss the details in the coming days.

At the meeting with Dr Bastian Giegerich, Director-General and Chief Executive of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) – organizer of the Shangri-La Dialogue, Hoang highly valued the dialogue's role in regional security and safety, affirming Viet Nam will continue participating in this event.

Hoang suggested the IISS-Asia office, based in Singapore, to enhance cooperation in research and academic exchanges with research units of Viet Nam, including the Institute for Defence Strategy.

Dr Bastian Giegerich agreed with the opinions and asked the two sides to discuss these cooperation activities in the future.

During the visit to Singapore, Hoang visited the IFC at Changi Naval Base and encouraged the Viet Nam People's Army liaison officers working there.

Viet Nam has deployed 22 officers to work at the IFC center. Vietnamese officers are highly appreciated for the quality of their duties.

Hoang and IFC leaders also looked into the center's structure and tasks and the possibility of exchanging maritime information in the future.

At the Shangri-La Dialogue 2024, Commander of the Viet Nam Coast Guard Le Quang Dao delivered a speech themed "Maritime Law Enforcement and Building Confidence" at a session on June 1 afternoon.

He held that security, order, and safety in sea areas have continued to face many traditional and non-traditional security challenges, which require international cooperation to be enhanced to address these challenges. He stressed that building trust is essential to the success of international cooperation.

The commander called on countries to strengthen their cooperation further on the basis of international law, the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and countries' laws to implement the documents they have joined or signed more effectively and substantively.

On the dialogue's sidelines, Commander of the Viet Nam Coast Guard Le Quang Dao also met with Seguchi Yoshio, Vice Commandant of the Japan Coast Guard./.