Vietnam boosts defence ties with Italy
A delegation from the
Defence Ministry led by Deputy Minister Nguyen Chi Vinh had a working
visit to Italy from October 24-26.
During
their stay, the Vietnamese delegation paid a courtesy visit to Italian
Defence Minister Giampaolo Di Paola, who affirmed that Italy wants to
strengthen defence cooperation with Vietnam for the benefit of each
country’s people as well as for peace and stability in the regions and
the world.
The delegation held talks with Italian
Defence General Secretary Claudio Debertolis and Deputy Minister Filippo
Milone, discussing measures to further bilateral defence ties with a
view to building a relation of cooperation and development on the basis
of mutual respect.
They affirmed their wish to
seek a common voice on major regional and international defence issues
such as peace, war, maritime security and terrorism prevention.
The two sides agreed to seek specific areas for cooperation such as
defence industry, training, the exchange of officers and delegations,
cooperation between research institutes, peacekeeping, and bomb and mine
clearance.
They also agreed to actively prepare
for the signing of a memorandum of understanding on defence cooperation
at the earliest point of time.
Vinh noted with
pleasure that the two countries’ defence ties have seen encouraging
developments over the recent past and fine prospects in the future.
The Vietnamese Defence Ministry wants to foster ties with the Italian
side, especially in strengthening mutual support in international
relations regarding security and peace issues and the abiding by
international law in the conduct of countries, he noted./.VNA