Senior Lieutenant General Do Ba Ty began an official visit to Thailand on Feb. 23 at the invitation of General Tanasak Patimapragorn, Head of Defence for the Thai Royal Armed Forces, according to the army daily Quan Doi Nhan Dan.

The same day, Sen. Lieut. Gen. Ty, who is Chief of the VPA’s General Staff and Deputy Defence Minister held talks with General Patimapragorn in Bangkok . Ty extended his sympathies at the loss of life and property caused by Thailand ’s recent floods and praised the contribution made by the Thai Royal Armed Forces in its rescue operations.

He gave a briefing on Vietnam ’s recent political and socio-economic situation and emphasised the importance of both countries cooperating with each other in defence matters as well as stepping up exchange visits, officers’ training, joint naval patrols and sharing experiences of search and rescue operations while working together at multilateral forums.

The deputy defence minister said he believes that enhanced cooperation in these areas will help to develop relations between the armed forces of both countries, ensuring peace and stability in the region.

General Patimapragorn praised the recent achievements made by the Vietnamese army and agreed with Ty’s proposal on cooperation contents. He also accepted an invitation to pay an official visit to Vietnam .

Later the same day, Thai Defence Minister Sukumpol Chulalongkhon received the Vietnamese delegation. He thanked them for their visit and said he is satisfied with the outcomes of the talks between the two army chiefs.

Sen. Lieut. Gen. Ty said he thought that both countries cooperating in defence matters was a positive move and urged for more exchange visits at all levels. On the evening of Feb. 24, General Patimapragorn hosted a dinner for his Vietnamese guests.-VNA