Hanoi (VNA) - Minister of National Defence General Phan Van Giang hosted a welcome ceremony in Hanoi on September 11 for Minister of National Defence of Türkiye Yasar Guler, who is on an official visit to Vietnam from September 10.
The two ministers held talks right after the ceremony, during which General Giang laid stress on his guest’s trip, aiming at concretising the commitments made by senior leaders of both countries to strengthen defence cooperation, as outlined in the Vietnam–Türkiye Joint Statement during Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s official visit to the country in November 2023.
Nearly five decades since the establishment of the diplomatic relations in 1978, the friendship and multifaceted cooperation between Vietnam and Türkiye have continued to grow, he said, highlighting huge potential for collaboration, particularly in the defence sector.
Exchanging notes on regional and global issues of mutual concerns, Giang underscored Vietnam’s consistent foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, friendship, cooperation and development, and multilateralisation and diversification of external relations, as well as its “Four Nos” defence policy.
He emphasised the country’s unwavering stance on resolving disputes through peaceful means in accordance with international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and international and regional commitments such as the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC); and advocating for the early signing of a substantive and effective Code of Conduct in the waters (COC) that aligns with international law.
Giang held that defence cooperation between the two countries has been promoted over the past years, with standout progress in such areas as delegation exchanges at all levels, education and training, defence industry and military trade, and UN peacekeeping. The minister hailed the coordination and efforts of competent sides in establishing resident defence attaché offices in both countries.
Looking ahead, he suggested the two sides effectively implement their defence cooperation agreement signed in July 2025, focusing on delegation exchanges, training, defence industry, UN peacekeeping, and mutual support at regional and international forums. Besides, they should study to bolster cooperation and experience exchange in the domains of naval and air forces, cyber security, response to non-traditional challenges, military engineer, and bomb and mine clearance.
He took the occasion to thank Guler for sending a delegation with 11 prestigious military corporation to attend the Vietnam International Defence Expo 2024, expressing his readiness to welcome Turkish defence enterprises to showcase their products at the next editions.
Guler, for his part, affirmed that Vietnam is a key partner for Türkiye in the Asia-Pacific and that Prime Minister Chinh’s 2023 visit to Türkiye provided strong momentum for bilateral relations, particularly defence cooperation.
Praising training cooperation between the two ministries, he noted that for the first time Türkiye has sent an officer to study at Vietnam’s National Defence Academy and the country plans to dispatch officers for Vietnamese language courses at the Military Science Academy. Türkiye, in turn, is ready to welcome Vietnamese cadets and officers to training programmes in the country./.
