Hanoi (VNA) – General Nguyen Tan Cuong, Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army and Deputy Minister of National Defence, hosted a reception in Hanoi on December 9 for Spanish Ambassador to Vietnam Carmen Cano De Lasala.
Cuong highlighted the robust progress in the bilateral ties across the fields of politics-diplomacy, defence-security, economy-trade, and culture-sports-tourism.
He noted that the official visit to Vietnam by the Spanish Prime Minister in April 2025 – the first since diplomatic relations were established in 1977 – would serve as an important milestone, helping to strengthen the Strategic Partnership between the two countries.
Regarding defence cooperation, Cuong stated that the field has received attention from both sides' leaders and has recorded positive outcomes.
He appreciated the participation of the Spanish Ministry of Defence and defence enterprises in the Vietnam International Defence Exhibition, including Airbus’s presence at both the 2022 and 2024 events. He invited the Spanish side to take part in the third edition of the exhibition.
The officer proposed the two countries continue to effectively implement agreed areas of cooperation such as delegation exchanges, training, defence industry, UN peacekeeping, and coordination at multilateral forums. He expressed his hope for further support from the ambassador to enhance bilateral defence cooperation in a practical and effective manner.
For her part, De Lasala thanked Cuong for his reception, emphasising that 2025 is an important milestone in the bilateral relationship between Spain and Vietnam.
She affirmed Vietnam as a trusted partner of Spain, including in defence, and said Spain wished to deepen defence cooperation in fields such as defence industry and UN peacekeeping./.
