The 70 year-history of the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) has been written with glorious victories, inspiring national liberation movements of suppressed nations around the world in the past as well as significantly contributing to the current national defence and construction, said Ambassador to France Nguyen Ngoc Son.
In the context of increasingly complicated developments in many regions in the world, the VPA has responsibly and actively participated in international operations, contributing to maintaining the world peace, the diplomat said at a ceremony in Paris on December 18 to mark the army’s 70 th anniversary.
He noted that currently, the Vietnamese army has set up ties with more than 80 countries, and sent military attachés to 36 countries. Meanwhile, 44 countries, including five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), have had their military attachés based in their embassies in Vietnam .
Vietnam is proud of contributing its voice to the settlement of disputes in the world, especially as a non-permanent member of the UNSC during the 2008-09 tenure, he stated.
Since May this year, Vietnam has increased its involvement in activities to maintain peace and security in the world by opening the Vietnam Peacekeeping Centre and for the first time sending its military officers to UN peacekeeping operations in Sudan , he added.
Highlighting the fruitful development of bilateral relations, the ambassador said the fifth meeting of the France-Vietnam Defence Joint Committee, slated for 2015, will be a chance for both sides to consult each other on bilateral and multilateral strategies.
The same day, the Military Attaché Office at the Vietnam Embassy in Japan also hosted a ceremony to mark the VPA’s 70 th anniversary, which saw the presence of Japanese Parliamentary Vice Minister of Defence Akira Sato and former Japan-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarians’ Group Tsutomu Takebe, among 200 guests.
Addressing the event, Ambassador Doan Xuan Hung recalled the VPA’s 70-year history, saying that under the leadership of President Ho Chi Minh, the 34-strong army during the first days has become an elite force of the Vietnamese Party and people, creating historical glorious victories such as the Dien Bien Phu triumph in 1954 and the success of the Ho Chi Minh campaign in 1975.
Meanwhile, Akira Sato said that Vietnam and Japan have enjoyed fine defence cooperation with regular meetings of senior leaders and exchanges of armed forces. He expressed wish that the VPA will develop more strongly in the future, making more contributions to the region’s peace and stability.
Also on December 18, a similar ceremony was held in Indonesia’s capital city of Jakarta during which Ambassador Nguyen Xuan Thuy affirmed Vietnam’s external defence policy of not joining any military alliance or linking with any other country against a third country, and not allowing any country to place its military base in Vietnam’s territory.
He noted that since Vietnam and Indonesia lifted up their ties to a strategic partnership in June 2013, bilateral cooperation, especially in defence, has been strengthened, benefiting both peoples as well as contributing to peace, stability and prosperity in the region and the world.
The Vietnamese Government and military highly value Indonesia ’s cooperation and assistance, he said, adding that the two armies’ mutual support will help tighten the traditional friendship between the two peoples.-VNA
In the context of increasingly complicated developments in many regions in the world, the VPA has responsibly and actively participated in international operations, contributing to maintaining the world peace, the diplomat said at a ceremony in Paris on December 18 to mark the army’s 70 th anniversary.
He noted that currently, the Vietnamese army has set up ties with more than 80 countries, and sent military attachés to 36 countries. Meanwhile, 44 countries, including five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), have had their military attachés based in their embassies in Vietnam .
Vietnam is proud of contributing its voice to the settlement of disputes in the world, especially as a non-permanent member of the UNSC during the 2008-09 tenure, he stated.
Since May this year, Vietnam has increased its involvement in activities to maintain peace and security in the world by opening the Vietnam Peacekeeping Centre and for the first time sending its military officers to UN peacekeeping operations in Sudan , he added.
Highlighting the fruitful development of bilateral relations, the ambassador said the fifth meeting of the France-Vietnam Defence Joint Committee, slated for 2015, will be a chance for both sides to consult each other on bilateral and multilateral strategies.
The same day, the Military Attaché Office at the Vietnam Embassy in Japan also hosted a ceremony to mark the VPA’s 70 th anniversary, which saw the presence of Japanese Parliamentary Vice Minister of Defence Akira Sato and former Japan-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarians’ Group Tsutomu Takebe, among 200 guests.
Addressing the event, Ambassador Doan Xuan Hung recalled the VPA’s 70-year history, saying that under the leadership of President Ho Chi Minh, the 34-strong army during the first days has become an elite force of the Vietnamese Party and people, creating historical glorious victories such as the Dien Bien Phu triumph in 1954 and the success of the Ho Chi Minh campaign in 1975.
Meanwhile, Akira Sato said that Vietnam and Japan have enjoyed fine defence cooperation with regular meetings of senior leaders and exchanges of armed forces. He expressed wish that the VPA will develop more strongly in the future, making more contributions to the region’s peace and stability.
Also on December 18, a similar ceremony was held in Indonesia’s capital city of Jakarta during which Ambassador Nguyen Xuan Thuy affirmed Vietnam’s external defence policy of not joining any military alliance or linking with any other country against a third country, and not allowing any country to place its military base in Vietnam’s territory.
He noted that since Vietnam and Indonesia lifted up their ties to a strategic partnership in June 2013, bilateral cooperation, especially in defence, has been strengthened, benefiting both peoples as well as contributing to peace, stability and prosperity in the region and the world.
The Vietnamese Government and military highly value Indonesia ’s cooperation and assistance, he said, adding that the two armies’ mutual support will help tighten the traditional friendship between the two peoples.-VNA
