Vietnamese and Russian defence ministers hold talks

The talks took place amid traditional ties and the comprehensive strategic partnership between both sides developing positively following celebrations to mark the 20th anniversary of the joint strategic partnership which began in 2001, as well as for the Vietnam-Russia Year which ran from 2019 to 2020.

With regard to defence ties, the two ministers said that despite the common influence of the COVID-19 pandemic, defence co-operation between the two countries has been actively and effectively deployed recently, thereby yielding practical results in line with signed documents covering training co-operation.

As part of his address, the Vietnamese Defence Minister emphasised that both sides enjoy a traditional friendship, with Russia being a major country with an important role for world peace and stability. As such, the nation welcomes Russia's peaceful contributions to the Asia-Pacific region in general and Southeast Asia in particular.

In response, Minister Shoigu affirmed that the defence ministries of the two countries have accumulated rich co-operation experience, with the important foundation being the long-standing friendship and mutually beneficial co-operation.

The Russian Defence Minister therefore thanked the Vietnamese Ministry of Defence for successfully organising the event within the framework of the International Military Sports Festival in Vietnam. This saw both sides sending high-level delegations to participate in international multilateral activities organised by the Russian Ministry of Defence and sending a Vietnamese People's Navy ship to partake in the Russian Federation Navy Parade and the "Sea Cup" contest.

With a strong desire to further expand defence co-operation to achieve practical effectiveness, both defence ministers agreed that moving forward through utilising signed international treaties and agreements, defence co-operation will focus on the exchange of delegations at all levels. This will be part of efforts aimed at maintaining the defence strategic dialogue mechanism at the deputy defence minister, training high-quality human resources, and participating in international multilateral activities organised by both defence ministries.

The two sides therefore consented to continue close consultation and co-operation at multilateral forums, especially the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting-Plus (ADMM+).

Vietnam supports Russian initiatives and proposals which aim to promote mutually-beneficial co-operation with ASEAN as well as contributing to maintaining an environment of peace, stability, and development in each region, as well as the world as a whole.

As part of the occasion, Minister Giang invited Minister Shoigu to pay an official visit to Vietnam as soon as possible.

Following talks, the two defence officials signed a number of important co-operation documents, serving to create a legal basis to further promote defence and military-technical co-operation between both sides.

The Russian Defence Ministry also presented the Friendship Medal of the Russian Federation to Minister Giang.

In the afternoon, the Vietnamese Embassy in Russia saw President Phuc present the Friendship Medal of Vietnam to Russian Defence Minister Shoigu for his important contributions to strengthening defence ties, the traditional friendship, and comprehensive strategic partnership between Vietnam and Russia.

On December 2, within the framework of the visit, Minister Giang also presented gifts to Russian veterans who previously worked in Vietnam.