Vietnam strengthen defence cooperation with Laos, Cambodia

Vientiane (VNA) – Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) and Deputy Minister of National Defence Sen. Lieut. Gen. Nguyen Tan Cuong had bilateral meetings with Lao Deputy Prime Minister and  Minister of National Defence Gen. Chansamone Chanyalath, and Cambodian Deputy Minister and Minister of National Defence Gen. Tea Siha in Luang Prabang, Laos, on March 4.

The meetings took place as Cuong is in Laos to attend the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Retreat (ADMM-Retreat) from March 4 to 6.

Meeting with the Lao official, Cuong affirmed that the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence always supports and stands ready to assist the Lao side to successfully organise military-defence events when Laos is holding the chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2024.

Chansamone, for his part, welcomed the high-level delegation from the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence to attend the ADMM-Retreat, expressing his belief that their attendance will contribute to the meeting’s success.

Both sides evaluated the bilateral cooperation over the past time, and discussed cooperation orientations in the coming time, particularly in the areas of Party and political affairs, border management and protection, human resources training and defence industry.

The Lao official said he hoped the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence will support the Experts’ Working Group on Humanitarian Mine Action of the ADMM Plus (ADMM+) for 2024-2027 co-chaired by Laos and Russia.

In the meeting with Tea Seiha, Cuong expressed his delight at the sound Vietnam - Cambodia defence cooperation in 2023 as both sides worked closely and effectively in the fields of high-level delegation exchanges, human resources training, and exchange of young officers.

They agreed that the two armies should continue their traditional cooperation and solidarity, serving as a pillar in the Vietnam-Cambodia good neighbourliness, traditional friendship, and comprehensive cooperation and long-term sustainability.

Besides, they concurred to direct competent agencies and units to carry out and review the protocol on defence cooperation between the two ministries during the 2020-2024 period and map out another for the 2025-2029 period.

Cuong took this occasion to invite leaders from the Cambodian defence ministry, royal military and enterprises to attend the 80th founding anniversary of the Vietnam People’s Army, and the 2nd Vietnam International Defence Expo scheduled to be held at the end of this year./.