Hanoi (VNA) – The visit to Myanmar bya high-level military delegation of Vietnam led by Minister of National DefenceNgo Xuan Lich from October 1-3 was a success.
Lieutenant General Vu Chien Thang, Director ofthe Foreign Relations Department under the Ministry of National Defence, madethe statement in a recent interview with Quan doi Nhan dan (People’s Army)newspaper about defence cooperation prospects between Vietnam and Myanmar.
The visit aimed to review defence ties betweenthe two countries and discussed cooperation plans to reinforce and strengthenthe Vietnam-Myanmar partnership, Thang said.
At talks between Minister Lich and SeniorGeneral Min Aung Hlaing, Commander-in-Chief of the Myanmar Armed Forces, thetwo sides agreed to hasten the implementation of defence cooperation deals andenhance relations between the two countries’ armies on par with theircomprehensive cooperative partnership.
The visit of the Vietnamese high-level militarydelegation, which took place shortly after a visit by Party General SecretaryNguyen Phu Trong, re-affirmed Vietnam’s desire to develop the traditionalfriendship between the two countries, especially their armies, Thang said.
He added that with defence cooperation betweenVietnam and Myanmar has seen new developments in various fields, particularlyafter they signed an agreement on defence cooperation in 2011 as well as visitsby State leaders and high-ranking military officers.
Notable collaboration fields include delegationexchanges, training, medical military, and defence economy, he noted.
The two countries also agreed to study theestablishment of a deputy ministerial level defence policy dialogue mechanismto increase political trust and understand better their respective viewpointson issues of mutual concerns.
They agreeded to boost information exchanges andconsultation and provide mutual support at multilateral forums, especiallywithin the framework of the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) and ADMM .
A notable outcome in the bilateral defencepartnership came during the Vietnam visit in March by Senior General Min AungHlaing, Myanmar granted an operational license to the Mytel company – a jointventure in telecommunications between Vietnam’s military-run Viettel group andpartners in Myanmar.
It is also the biggest investment project ofVietnam in Myanmar and the largest foreign one since Myanmar’s new governmentwas formed in 2016, Thang said.
Both Vietnam and Myanmar are members of theAssociation of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and share cultural similaritiesand common concerns, he said.
Based on the bilateral comprehensive strategicpartnership, the two countries’ defence relations will be pushed ahead in adeeper and more efficient manner, contributing to the maintenance of peace,stability and development in each nation as well as in the region and aroundthe world, he added.-VNA