Vietnam, Japan convene first Foreign and Defence Vice-Ministerial Consultation
VGP - The first Viet Nam-Japan Foreign and Defense Vice-Ministerial Consultation, known as the “2+2 Dialogue,” was held on December 4 in Tokyo, Japan.
Vietnamese and Japanese officials before the consultation. Photo: VNA
The Vietnamese delegation was led by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu and Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien, Deputy Minister of National Defense and Standing Member of the Central Military Commission.
The Japanese side was led by Vice Foreign Minister Namazu Hiroyuki and Vice Defense Minister Kano Koji, with officials from the two countries' foreign affairs and defense ministries also attending.
The inaugural dialogue was described as an important milestone, reflecting growing political trust between the two nations, contributing to regional security, confidence-building, and the maintenance of a peaceful and stable environment that supports cooperation and development in the region and beyond.
Both sides agreed that defense cooperation is a key pillar of the Viet Nam-Japan Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and has been expanding through regular dialogue and consultations, information sharing, training, and capacity building.
At the dialogue, Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien reaffirmed Viet Nam's pursuance of the "four nos" defense policy, emphasizing that the country's defense posture is people-based, peaceful, and purely defensive.
Also, he noted that Viet Nam remains proactive and resolute in preventing and pushing back the risk of war.
He added that Viet Nam promotes defense cooperation with other nations to strengthen friendship, development, and peace at both national and regional levels. He also emphasized that Viet Nam continues to invest in human resources and modernize military equipment solely for national defense and peace protection purposes.
Viet Nam expressed its desire to expand cooperation with all partners, including Japan, particularly given Japan's strengths in science and technology, with the aim of improving defense industry capacity in a self-reliant, dual-use, and modern direction.
On the East Sea issue, Hoang Xuan Chien conveyed Viet Nam's deep concern about recent developments. He underlined that Viet Nam consistently seeks to resolve disputes through peaceful means in line with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Regarding bilateral defense ties, the Vietnamese side welcomed positive outcomes and highlighted three priorities. These included the regular operation of dialogue mechanisms, support from Japan in training and capacity building, and continued assistance in addressing war consequences through grants and concessional loans.
On defense industry cooperation, Viet Nam called for practical and effective projects.
After the dialogue, the two defense ministries are expected to sign a memorandum of understanding on search and rescue operations, laying the foundation for stronger cooperation in the time ahead./.
