Deputy Minister of National Defence Sen. Lt. Gen. Nguyen Chi Vinh (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Deputy Minister of National DefenceSen. Lt. Gen. Nguyen Chi Vinh and Chairman of the EU Military Committee Gen.Claudio Graziano looked into Vietnam-EU defence cooperation during theirteleconferenced talks on June 11.
The officials said the two sides’ signing of theparticipation framework agreement (FPA) on Vietnam’s engagement in the EU’scrisis management operations has created a favourable foundation for them tocontinue intensifying defence links.
On the basis of the FPA, the EU has chosenVietnam to pilot the “Enhanced EU Security Cooperation in and with Asia”strategy. For its part, the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence has alsopromoted defence cooperation with the EU into a pillar in the Vietnam-EUFramework Agreement on Comprehensive Partnership and Cooperation.
Deputy Minister Vinh said the Vietnamese defenceministry always attaches importance to defence ties with the EU, asking bothsides to bolster collaboration in military medicine to fight against COVID-19,as well as in coping with non-traditional security challenges.
He stressed that Vietnam and the EU need toactively prepare for implementing the FPA-based cooperation agreements as soonas the COVID-19 pandemic is brought under control.
During the talks, Graziano voiced his supportfor Vietnam’s ASEAN Chairmanship this year and non-permanent membership in theUN Security Council for 2020-2021. He expressed his hope that Vietnam will continuebringing into play the centrality of ASEAN, thus contributing to regionalsecurity and peace.
He also affirmed that the two sides’ goodwilland cooperation demand are the foundation for Vietnam and the EU to strengthendefence ties in many areas within the FPA framework, including personneltraining, peacekeeping and maritime security.
The officials shared the view that bilateralcooperation potential remains huge, especially in delegation exchange,defence-security dialogue, training, settlement of war aftermath, peacekeepingand strategy research. In particular, the two sides will pay special attentionto implementing the FPA and sending Vietnamese defence officers to take part inlecturing activities at some peacekeeping training centres of the EU in theCentral African Republic in the time to come.
Concluding the talks, Vinh and Graziano agreedthat both sides will organise more online discussions at different levels inthe future to carry out the issues agreed on at the event./.
VNA
