Viet Nam, Japan strengthen defense ties
VGP - Chief of the General Staff of the Viet Nam People's Army and Deputy Defense Minister Nguyen Tan Cuong and Chief of Staff of the Japan Self-Defense Forces Joint Staff Yoshida Yoshihide held talks in Tokyo, Japan, on October 11.
Chief of the General Staff of the Viet Nam People's Army and Deputy Defense Minister Nguyen Tan Cuong (R) and Chief of Staff of the Japan Self-Defense Forces Joint Staff Yoshida Yoshihide holds talks, Tokyo, Japan, October 11, 2023
On the basis of Viet Nam-Japan extensive strategic partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia, defense cooperation between the two nations have been expanded, yielding crucial achievements, noted the two officials.
A Memorandum of Understanding on Bilateral Defense Cooperation and Exchanges inked in October 2011, and the Joint Vision Statement on Defense Cooperation towards the next decade signed in April 2018 have paved the way for both sides to step up collaboration in this area.
The two nations have enhanced delegation exchange, effectively maintained consultation and dialogue mechanisms, worked together in defense industry and human resource training, and taken part in United Nations peacekeeping activities.
Furthermore, both sides have fostered stronger ties in military medical work and settlement of post-war consequences, and supported each other at multilateral forums in the region, particularly the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting Plus (ADMM+).
Remarkably, Viet Nam and Japan joined hands to organize the Competency Evaluation Program for Prospective United Nations Peacekeepers (CEPPP) in Viet Nam last September, and fulfilled the role as co-chairs of the 14th meeting of the Experts' Working Group on Peacekeeping Operations Cycle 4 for the 2021-23 period within the framework of the ADMM+.
They vowed to promote delegation exchanges at all levels; maintain existing consultation and dialogue mechanisms; bolster collaboration in human resource training, especially high-quality human resources; and effectively enhance capacity building in the fields of underwater medicine and underwater mine clearance.
Both officials emphasized the significance of maintaining peace, security, safety, and freedom of navigation and aviation in the East Sea. They held that disputes must be settled via peaceful means in line with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
The same day, Nguyen paid a courtesy visit to Japanese Minister of Defense Kihara Minoru.
The Vietnamese official noted that humanitarian assistance and war aftermath settlement are among key areas in the bilateral defense cooperation, expressing his hope that Japanese relevant agencies will further strengthen cooperation with the Vietnamese Ministry of Defense in this field, particularly in terms of mine clearance projects, and equipment support for dioxin decontamination.
Kihara Minoru, for his part, said he will soon pay a visit to Viet Nam, expecting to lift the bilateral defense cooperation to a higher level./.
