Hanoi (VNA) – Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence Gen. Phan Van Giang hosted a reception in Hanoi on April 22 for Armenian Ambassador to Vietnam Suren Baghdasaryan, believing that the diplomat will enjoy a successful tenure and contribute to further deepening bilateral ties.
Giang, who also serves as Vice Secretary of the Central Military Commission, stressed that Vietnam and Armenia have maintained a strong traditional friendship since establishing diplomatic relations in 1992, with relations continuing to thrive.
He thanked Armenia, once part of the Soviet Union, for supporting Vietnam during its fight for independence and reunification, especially by training thousands of Vietnamese technical experts. To honour the Soviet military experts who helped Vietnam, the Ministry of National Defence built a monument at the Vietnam Military History Museum, symbolising the friendship and solidarity between Vietnam and the Soviet Union. He invited Baghdasaryan to visit the monument whenever convenient.
The host spoke highly of recent Vietnam–Armenia defence cooperation, especially in the defence industry and humanitarian mine clearance, and proposed embarking on key joint tasks, including the exchange of all-level delegations, defence industry partnerships, and training.
On the occasion, he invited the Armenian Ministry of Defence to send delegations of senior officials and defence industry enterprises to the third Vietnam International Defence Expo, scheduled for this December.
Hailing Vietnam’s increasingly important role on the global stage, Baghdasaryan affirmed Armenia’s readiness to enhance cooperation with Vietnam across various fields, including national defence. He pledged to exert every effort during his tenure to advance bilateral ties in general, and defence cooperation in particular, more effectively and practically./.
