Malaysian Defence Minister pays an official visit to Vietnam

(Bqp.vn) - Malaysian Defence Minister Dato’ Seri Utama Haji Mohamad Bin Haji Hasan paid an official visit to Vietnam from December 3 to 5 at the invitation of Vietnamese Defence Minister General Phan Van Giang.

General Phan Van Giang welcoming Defence Minister Dato’ Seri Utama Haji Mohamad Bin Haji Hasan.

Defence Minister Phan Van Giang and his Malaysian counterpart Mohamad Hasan inspecting the Guards of Honor of the VPA.

All delegates in a joint photo.

The visit aims to assess the previous cooperation in defence between the two countries and establish a direction for future collaboration. It is also to strengthen the friendship between Vietnam and Malaysia by contributing to a deeper alliance.

Both defence ministers held talks right after the official welcome ceremony chaired by General Phan Van Giang on December 4.

At the talks.

General Phan Van Giang speaking at the talks.

Speaking at the talks, General Phan Van Giang stressed that the visit will provide a new impetus that helps the bilateral defence ties to thrive in the future.

Being neighboring countries in Southeast Asia, Vietnam and Malaysia possess numerous cultural and historical resemblances. They have actively and responsibly participated in ASEAN and have provided mutual support on significant international matters. Moreover, both nations are currently executing an action plan to implement their Strategic Partnership from 2021 to 2025 in various areas, including defence cooperation.

Defence Minister of Malaysia speaking at the talks.

The Defence Minister of Malaysia emphasized the advancements in defense relations between Vietnam and Malaysia. He acknowledged that these ties have progressed over time, building upon the foundation of the Memorandum of Understanding on defense cooperation signed in 2008 and the establishment of the Strategic Partnership in 2015.

The both sides acknowledged the vital role of defence cooperation within their Strategic Partnership, highlighting notable achievements in various areas such as delegation exchanges, training, consultations, and mutual support in regional and international security forums.

They agreed that there is significant potential for further strengthening cooperation between Vietnam and Malaysia. They recommended the continued effective implementation of existing agreements and the formulation of future cooperation plans, particularly in delegation exchanges, the establishment of consultation and dialogue mechanisms, training, defence industry, logistics, military medicine, and rescue operations.

Sharing regional and international issues and those of mutual concerns, they said amidst complicated developments in the region and the world, the ASEAN-led mechanisms continue to demonstrate its central role in promoting dialogues and cooperation between ASEAN member states as well as external partners for peace, stability and development in the region.

General Phan Van Giang took the occasion to invite his counterpart and other leaders of the Malaysian Ministry of Defence and defence enterprises to attend the second Vietnam International Defence Expo in 2024.

The two sides signing a Memorandum of Understanding on defence cooperation.

After the talks, the two defence ministers signed a Memorandum of Understanding on defence cooperation.