Vietnam-US defence policy dialogue held in Hanoi

Hanoi (VNA) – Deputy Minister of National Defence Sen. Lieu. Gen. Hoang Xuan Chien and Dr. Ely Ratner, US Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs, co-chaired the Vietnam-US defence policy dialogue in Hanoi on September 12.

After one year of being postponed due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, this year's dialogue focused on evaluating the outcomes of bilateral defence cooperation so far and defining directions of partnership in the coming years.

The two sides discussed the global and regional issues of shared concern and reviewed the bilateral defence ties over the year in line with the agreements they had reached in the field.

Both sides shared their delight at their cooperation in various fields, especially in dealing with war aftermaths such as the dioxin detoxification at Bien Hoa airport, support to people with disabilities in areas heavily sprayed with Agent Orange, bomb and mine clearance, and searching for remains of soldiers missing during the war.

They highlighted the effective collaboration in areas of UN peacekeeping operations, disaster relief, humanitarian assistance, military medicine, and capacity building for the Vietnam Coast Guard force.

The two sides agreed that in the coming time, they will continue to efficiently implement signed agreements, concentrating on overcoming the consequences of the war, UN peacekeeping, military medical cooperation, and search and rescue, while continuing to consult and support each other at regional forums, promoting their role as ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting Plus (ADMM ) members, contributing to peace, stability and common development in the region.

On this occasion, the US side provided additional information to the Vietnamese Defence Ministry on Vietnamese soldiers who died during the war. Meanwhile, Vietnam invited the US Department of Defence to send a delegation to the international defence exhibition in Vietnam in December 2022, pledging to support and create favourable conditions for US defence enterprises to popularise products at the exhibition./.