Chief of Defense Forces of the Royal Thai Armed Forces pays an official visit to Vietnam

(Bqp.vn) - On September 20, at the Headquarters of the Ministry of National Defense, Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) and Deputy Defense Minister Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Tan Cuong chaired a solemn reception for Chief of Defense Forces of the Royal Thai Armed Forces General Chalermphon Srisawasdi.

Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Tan Cuong welcoming General Chalermphon Srisawasdi.

Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Tan Cuong and General Chalermphon Srisawasdi inspecting the Guards of Honor of the VPA.

General Chalermphon Srisawasdi introducing the Thailand delegation.

Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Tan Cuong introducing the Vietnam delegation.

After the reception, the two sides held talks.

Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Tan Cuong and General Chalermphon Srisawasdi at the talks.

Speaking at the talks, Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Tan Cuong affirmed the significance of the visit which takes place in the context that the two countries are celebrating the 10th anniversary of the establishment of their strategic partnership, contributing to creating new momentum for Vietnam - Thailand defense relations. On the basis of the bilateral friendship and fruitful cooperative relations, the cooperation between the two militaries has continuously developed with many practical and effective activities in various fields, such as defense policy dialogue, coast guard exchange, collaboration between arms and services, young officers’ exchange, information sharing, consultation, etc.

Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Tan Cuong speaking at the talks.

Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Tan Cuong took the occasion to thank the Thai Ministry of National Defense and the Royal Thai Armed Forces for actively participating in multilateral events organized by the VPA in 2022, especially the 23rd ASEAN Chiefs of Army Multilateral Meeting (ACAMM-23) and the Vietnam International Defense Expo 2022. He also thanked the Thai side for continue to send a delegation of coaches and athletes to join the upcoming first Men’s Volleyball Tournament for ASEAN militaries organized by the VPA. He emphasized that the participation of the Thai delegation would contribute to the overall success of the tournament, thereby contributing to enhancing mutual understanding and trust among ASEAN militaries in general and between the two militaries in particular.

General Chalermphon Srisawasdi speaking at the talks.

For his part, General Chalermphon Srisawasdi highly appreciated the cooperation between the two militaries over the past time and congratulated Vietnam on its successful organization of ACAMM-23 and Defense Expo 2022. He affirmed that Thailand would support multilateral events organized by Vietnam in the future and hoped that the cooperative relationship between the two militaries would continue to thrive in the coming time.

At the talks.

The two sides agreed to continue to effectively carry out cooperation activities, making important contribution to the fruitful development of the Vietnam - Thailand strategic partnership. They determined to focus on strengthening delegation exchanges at all levels; effectively maintaining existing cooperation mechanisms, in the short-term, making thorough preparations for the fifth Vietnam - Thailand defense policy dialogue, which is scheduled to be held in Vietnam at the end of 2023; effectively maintaining cooperation in human resource training; boosting collaboration between arms and services; promoting sharing of information related to maritime security and safety situation, thus promptly coordinating to effectively handle incidents at sea and treat fishermen violating each other’s waters humanely and in accordance with the Vietnam - Thailand enhanced strategic partnership; boosting cooperation in combating drug and human trafficking. They also emphasized the need to foster cooperation in responding to non-traditional challenges, such as search and rescue, terrorist prevention; maintain common stance on regional and international security issues.

Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Tan Cuong affirmed that Vietnam would support events organized by the Ministry of Defense and the Royal Thai Armed Forces in 2024, such as the Defense and Security Exhibition and the 24th ASEAN Chiefs of Army Multilateral Meeting and related meetings.

Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Tan Cuong, General Chalermphon Srisawasdi and delegates in a joint photo.

At the talks, the two sides also exchanged views on international and regional situations and issues of mutual concern. Both sides affirmed that, in the context of complex developments of international and regional situations, ASEAN-led mechanisms have continued to promote their central role. They emphasized the importance of maintaining peace, security, safety, freedom of navigation and aviation in the East Sea (South China Sea) and resolving disputes by peaceful means in accordance with international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982.