Vietnam, Japan hold 6th defence policy dialogue

Tokyo (VNA) – The 6th Vietnam-Japan defence policy dialogue took place in Tokyo on July 4 under the chair of Vietnamese Deputy Defence Minister Sen. Lt. Gen. Nguyen Chi Vinh and Japanese Deputy Defence Minister Ro Manabe.

Deputy Minister Manabe affirmed that his country always attaches importance to Vietnam’s role in the region, and it wants to enhance the two countries’ cooperation, including in defence.

Vinh said Vietnam and Japan share many similarities and mutual trust and have cooperated in many fields. That cooperation will contribute to the maintenance of independence, sovereignty and development of each country as well as peace, stability and prosperity in the Asian-Pacific region, thus benefiting people of both nations.

He said the 6th defence policy dialogue was held in an important point of time which was after a State visit to Japan by President Tran Dai Quang in May 2018 and an official trip to the country by Defence Minister Ngo Xuan Lich one month earlier.

This is a chance for the two sides to discuss measures to realise the common perceptions reached by the countries’ leaders on enhancing defence cooperation, he noted.

The deputy ministers said on the basis of the memorandum of understanding on bilateral defence cooperation and exchange signed in October 2011 by the Vietnamese and Japanese ministries of defence and effective bilateral cooperation mechanisms, the two sides’ cooperation has continued to make fruitful and substantive strides as seen through mutual visits at all levels, exchanges between their air and naval forces, personnel training, and participation in United Nations peacekeeping activities.

However, these cooperation outcomes have yet to match the two sides’ potential and expectation, they said.

Basing on the signed cooperation documents, especially the Joint Vision Statement on Japan-Vietnam Defence Cooperation towards the next decade between the two defence ministries inked last April, the officials agreed that stronger efforts will be made to strengthen the defence ties and turn them into an important pillar in the countries’ extensive strategic partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia.

The officials also concurred in increasing all-level delegation exchanges, promoting the quality of the defence policy dialogue mechanism, and organising consultations between the two countries’ naval, ground and air forces to boost result-oriented cooperation and mutual trust. They will also step up coordination and mutual support at defence-security mechanisms and multilateral forums, while bolstering collaboration in military medicine, cyber security, defence industry, UN peacekeeping activities, marine security, and search and rescue.

The Japanese Ministry of Defence voiced its support for Vietnam’s efforts to address unexploded ordnance and dioxin consequences left from the wartime, adding that it will soon carry out programmes to assist improving Vietnam’s capacity in this field. 

At the dialogue, the officials exchanged views on world and regional issues of shared concern, agreeing that peace, cooperation and development is the common trend of all countries at present, and that all disputes and disagreements need to be resolved through peaceful dialogue, on the basis on international law, and without using force or threatening to use force.

Also on July 4, Deputy Minister Vinh paid a courtesy call to Japanese Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera.

During his visit, Vinh also had meetings with Japanese Deputy Foreign Minister Kazuyuki Nakane, Deputy Secretary General of Japan’s National Security Secretariat Nobukatsu Kanehara, and Vice President of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Ejima Shinya.-VNA