Malaysian Deputy Defence Minister Mohd Johari bin Baharom (R) and his Vietnamese counterpart Phan Van Giang at a meeting on March 22 (Photo: qdnd.vn)Kuala Lumpur (VNA) – Malaysian Deputy Defence Minister MohdJohari bin Baharom told his Vietnamese counterpart Phan Van Giang at a meetingon March 22 that the two countries have great potential to cooperate in thedefence industry as both of them want to modernize their armies.
He welcomed the Vietnamese military delegation to the 2017 LangkawiInternational Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA 2017), which is takingplace in Langkawi, and expressed wish that Vietnam and Malaysia enhance theirpartnership in the field of defence.
Deputy Defence Minister Phan Van Giang, who is also Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army, applauded Malaysia’s organisation of the exhibition, which is one ofthe prestigious events of this kind in the region.
The same day, Giang had a meeting with Chief of the Malaysian Defence ForceTan Sri Raja Mohamed Affandi Raja Mohamed Noor, during which the two sidesreviewed the bilateral defence ties in the recent past and discussed measuresto strengthen the ties in the time ahead.
Also on March 22, Vietnam’s military delegation attended the Air ChiefsConference 2017 and the Chief of Navy Roundtable Talks in the framework of LIMA2017.
The Air Chiefs Conference focused on strategic security issues in theSoutheast Asian region. Delegates looked into challenges and proposed essentialsolutions to maintain the strategic security environment in the region.
Meanwhile, the Chief of Navy Roundtable Talks dealt with issues relatedto maritime security and safety, terrorism and piracy, which delegatesconsidered major issues for both the region and the world as a whole. They saidcooperation and coordination are needed to address those issues.
Participants appreciated the sharing of information via hotlines, jointpatrols of key waters and the building of capacity for regional navies throughmodernization of equipment.
Earlier, Vietnam’s air force delegation held a bilateral meeting with Chiefof the Malaysian Air Force Dato’Sri Hj Affendi Bin Buang, at which the twosides agreed to set up a joint working group tasked with researching and buildinga specific programme for cooperation between the two countries’ air forces.-VNA
VNA
