Vietnam and the UK will take steps to strengthen defense ties in efforts to contribute to the bilateral strategic partnerships.

Vietnam’s Defence Minister General Phan Van Giang and the UK Secretary of State for Defense Robert Ben Lobban Wallace. Source: VNA

The move came during a meeting between Vietnam’s Defence Minister General Phan Van Giang and the UK Secretary of State for Defense Robert Ben Lobban Wallace on July 22.

In this regard, both sides would focus on exchanging delegations; implementing existing cooperation mechanism, especially the Defense Policy Dialogue at the deputy ministerial level and the bilateral working group on defense cooperation; providing English language training for Vietnamese army officers; participating in UN peace-keeping missions; and cooperating on defense industry and multilateral forums.

Vietnam also welcomes the UK’s participation in the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM+) on the basis of ASEAN consensus, as well as a stronger UK-ASEAN linkage, including in the field of military-defense.

Both senior officials agree on strengthening defense cooperation.

Robert Ben Lobban Wallace shared Vietnam’s viewpoint in resolving issues on the East Sea and stressed the significance of freedom of navigation in the region, saying differences should be resolved based on peaceful measures and international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Vietnam’s Defense Minister General Phan Van Giang expressed his delight to receive the UK Secretary of State for Defence in Hanoi amid the serious Covid-19 situation worldwide, saying this shows the goodwill and determination of both countries in promoting bilateral relations in general, and defense cooperation in particular.

“The visit coincided with two countries’ 10^th anniversary of signing a memorandum on defense cooperation,” Giang noted, expecting the relations to reach a new height for mutual benefits.

On this occasion, Giang expressed his thanks to the UK government for sharing its experience with Vietnam in the Covid-19 fight and put the country on a priority list for vaccines support.

Giang requested his counterpart to support Vietnam’s Defense Ministry to gain access to Covid-19 vaccines.