At the 9th Vietnam-Singapore Deputy Minister-Level Defence Policy Dialogue in Singapore on November 12 (Photo: VNA)Singapore (VNA) – Deputy Defence Minister Sen. Lieut. Gen. NguyenChi Vinh and Chan Yeng Kit, Permanent Secretary of the Singaporean Ministry ofDefence, co-chaired the 9th Vietnam-Singapore Deputy Minister-Level DefencePolicy Dialogue in Singapore on November 12.
At the event, the two sides shared their viewpoints on the regional and globalissues of common concern, including defence and security challenges to bothcountries and the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) such ascompetition among major powers, the East Sea issue, and non-traditionalsecurity challenges.
They agreed that ASEAN should maintain its solidarity and central role in theregional security architecture while promoting the role and responsibilities ofpartner countries.
Regarding bilateral defence relations, they noted with pleasure the stronglydeveloping ties between the two countries’ defence ministries and armies, particularlythe exchange of all-level delegations, training, information sharing, andcooperation between armed services.
In the coming time, the two sides will continue promoting the efficiency ofexisting cooperation mechanisms and deepen current collaboration contents in apractical and effective manner. They will also build a three-year cooperation planto concretise collaboration aspects.
Earlier, Sen. Lieut. Gen. Nguyen Chi Vinh paid a courtesy visit to Singaporean DefenceMinister Ng Eng Hen, who spoke highly of the two defence ministries’ maintenanceof the deputy minister-level Defence Policy Dialogue – a leading important mechanismto assess bilateral defence ties as well as put forth orientations and measuresto boost the relations in the time ahead.
Ng Eng Hen stressed that the two countries’ defence cooperation has made greatcontributions to enhancing political trust and deepening the Vietnam-SingaporeStrategic Partnership. He thanked the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defencefor supporting its Singapore counterpart over the past year, thus contributingto the country’s successful assumption of the role as ASEAN Chair 2018. Heaffirmed to coordinate closely with the Vietnamese ministry during 2020, whenVietnam takes over ASEAN Chair.
For his part, Vinh asserted that Vietnam always attaches importance to theposition of Singapore in the region and wishes to strengthen pragmatic defenceties with Singapore for peace, stability and development in the region and the worldat large.-VNA
VNA
