At the second Defence Policy Dialogue between Vietnam and the UK. Source: mod.gov.vn

The two sides highlighted the purpose and significance of the Vietnam-UK defence policy dialogue and positive development in bilateral defence ties in the recent past, especially after the two countries renewed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on bilateral defence cooperation and successfully organised the first dialogue.

They affirmed that the defence cooperation between the two countries has been flourishing in different fields, such as English training, logistics, hydrograph and defense industry.

The two sides underlined the need to increase the exchange of delegations at all levels, particularly high-ranking delegations, to promote mutual understanding.

Vinh said Vietnamese Minister of National Defence General Ngo Xuan Lich will pay an official visit to the UK in the time to come, and Vietnam is ready to facilitate the next visits by British Navy ships to the Southeast Asian country.

He called on the UK side to continue exchanging experience in military medicine, UN peacekeeping and promoting exchanges among young officers of the two armies.

Vinh suggested the UK support and expand English training for Vietnamese military personnel, saying that the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence is willing to receive British army officers to study Vietnamese language in Vietnam.

The two sides should promote cooperation and mutual support at multilateral forums, he added.

The same day, Vietnamese Minister of National Defence General Ngo Xuan Lich hosted a reception for Baroness Goldie, during which the Vietnamese minister spoke highly of the bilateral defence cooperation in the recent past, as well as effective assistance from the British Ministry of Defence in deploying the second level-2 field hospital in South Sudan and in teaching English to Vietnam’s UN peacekeeping forces.

He said that the defence policy dialogue is a foundation and an important cooperation mechanism in defence relations between the two countries./.

VNF/VNA