The ceremony was attended by Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Van Hien, member of the Party Central Committee and Deputy Minister of National Defence; Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Dang Hoang Giang; Vietnamese Ambassador to Italy Nguyen Phuong Anh; Rear Admiral Gianandrea Buldrini, Deputy Commander for Intelligence and Cyber Security at Italy’s Ministry of Defence; and defence attachés from countries in Italy.

In his remarks, Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Van Hien underlined Vietnam’s foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, friendship, cooperation and development. The Vietnam People’s Army has continued to expand international integration and defence external relations in both bilateral and multilateral frameworks, with concrete results.

He said the Vietnamese military has taken part in United Nations peacekeeping operations and contributed to  non-traditional security, humanitarian assistance, search and rescue, and post-war recovery, helping maintain peace and stability in the region and the world. Defence external relations, he said, have increasingly become an important pillar of national foreign affairs, strengthening strategic trust and raising Vietnam’s position and credibility.

Vietnam-Italy relations, established in 1973 and upgraded to a Strategic Partnership in 2013, have continued to develop in a positive, comprehensive manner. The two countries have maintained high-level exchanges and annual defence policy dialogue, while promoting cooperation in training, naval affairs, cybersecurity and defence industry.

The launch of the defence attaché office in Italy marks a new step in bilateral defence cooperation and will help enhance mutual understanding and further deepen the Strategic Partnership in the coming period. Nguyen Van Hien expressed his hope that Italy’s Ministry of Defence will support the office in carrying out its tasks, thereby contributing to stronger defence cooperation between the two countries.

Rear Admiral Gianandrea Buldrini said defence cooperation between Vietnam and Italy has continued to be strengthened in a practical and effective manner, in line with signed agreements, notably in high-level exchanges, consultations and dialogue, and defence equipment.

He said the two defence ministries will continue cooperation in addressing war consequences, with an initial focus on unexploded ordnance clearance. Italy’s Ministry of Defence welcomed the establishment of Vietnam’s defence attaché office in Rome, viewing it as an important bridge to further deepen the Strategic Partnership between the two countries.

Meanwhile, Vietnam’s Defence Attaché to Italy, Colonel Nguyen Doan Ngoc, expressed his appreciation for the attention and support from the two defence ministries in the establishment of the office in Rome.

He affirmed that he will uphold a strong sense of responsibility, make full use of his capacity, and carry out advisory work and defence diplomacy activities to enhance mutual understanding, build trust, and boost  defence cooperation between the two ministries, as well as contribute to the external relations activities of Vietnam’s representative office in Italy, thereby consolidating, developing and deepening the Vietnam-Italy Strategic Partnership.

Vietnam – Italy parliamentary friendship strengthened

Chairman of the National Assembly Tran Thanh Man met with Chairwoman of the Italy – Vietnam Parliamentary Friendship Group Chiara Gribaudo in Rome on April 14 (local time) during his official visit to Italy.