Vietnam wishes to join hands with Singapore in stepping up their bilateral friendship and cooperation in an effective manner for the benefit of the two peoples and the common interests of all regional nations.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung made this statement at a reception given to Singaporean Deputy PM and Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean who is on an official visit to Vietnam as a guest of National Defence Minister Gen. Phung Quang Thanh.

PM Dung said the freshly-signed agreement on national defence cooperation will bring practical benefit to both sides and increase mutual understanding, and friendly, cooperative ties between the two countries. The Vietnamese government supports the two Defence Ministries’ efforts to effectively implement this agreement, the PM said.

He spoke highly of Singapore’s socio-economic development models and thanked Singaporean leaders Lee Kuan Yew, Lee Hsien Loong and Goh Chok Tong for their goodwill in sharing their experiences with Vietnam regarding management and socio-economic development.

Teo briefed his host on the results of his earlier talks with Minister Thanh, saying that the newly-inked agreement will lay a foundation for the two ministries to further beef up their bilateral ties.

The deputy PM affirmed that Singapore is willing to share its experiences in economic and social areas, especially in establishing social security funds.

Singapore will also help Vietnam with personnel training and projects aimed at enhancing the efficiency of administration and public management, he added.

The same day, Teo was received by Politburo member and Secretary of the Secretariat of the Party Central Committee Nguyen Van Chi, who described the visit as vivid evidence of the fruitfulness of the Vietnam-Singapore relationship.

Teo told Chi, who is also Head of the Party Central Committee’s Inspection Commission, that Singapore wants to strengthen its multifaceted cooperation with and assistance to Vietnam in investment, trade and human resources development.

Earlier, Minister Teo Chee Hean held talks with Defence Minister Gen. Phung Quang Thanh, where they exchanged views on the building of armed forces in each country as well as know-how for hosting the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting.

The ministers also touched upon several issues related to cooperation on national defence, military history research and regional and international security.

Following their talks, Thanh and Teo signed the Vietnam-Singapore national defence cooperation agreement./.