Hanoi (VNA) – Italy is keen to further strengthen defence cooperation with Vietnam to ensure more effective collaboration in the time to come, said Italian Undersecretary of State for Defence Matteo Perego di Cremnago during a meeting with Vietnamese Minister of National Defence General Phan Van Giang in Hanoi on July 2.
The Italian official informed Minister Giang about the outcomes of the 5th Vietnam–Italy defence policy dialogue, which he co-chaired with Vietnamese Deputy Minister of National Defence Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien earlier the same day. He said the dialogue has contributed significantly to bolstering bilateral defence ties and promoting the countries’ strategic partnership.
Minister Giang stressed that Vietnam attaches great importance to the strategic partnership and expressed confidence that, with strong political will from both sides' high-ranking leaders, bilateral relations will continue to thrive.
He commended the outcomes of the 5th dialogue and noted recent positive developments following the signing of the memorandum of understanding on defence cooperation between the two countries in 2013, particularly in areas such as delegation exchanges and defence industry collaboration.
Acknowledging the vast potential for further cooperation, Giang proposed that both sides intensify delegation exchanges at all levels, especially high-level visits. He also suggested continued promotion of joint work in defence industry, training, and United Nations peacekeeping operations, while exploring new fields like war legacy resolution, maritime security, military medicine, military sports and culture, and service arms cooperation.
He affirmed that the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence would instruct its relevant agencies to effectively implement cooperation orientations, based on the shared perceptions between Vietnamese and Italian high-ranking leaders and on the outcomes of the dialogue. The work aims to foster substantive and effective defence ties in line with the nations’ strategic partnership framework./.
Vietnam seeks stronger ties with Italy
The two sides committed to expanding cultural exchanges, tourism promotion, science and technology collaboration, education and training, and people-to-people diplomacy. They also voiced support for stronger Vietnam–EU ties within EVFTA and EU Indo-Pacific initiatives.
