Ministry of National Defense of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam

07/23/2021 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 07/22/2021 21:43

UK Secretary of State for Defence pays an official visit to Vietnam

(Bqp.vn) - UK Secretary of State for Defence Robert Ben Lobban Wallace makes an official trip to Vietnam at the invitation of the Vietnam's Defence Minister General Phan Văn Giang.

Vietnam's Defence Minister General Phan Van Giang and UK Secretary of State for Defence Robert Ben Lobban Wallace inspect the Guard of Honour of the VPA.

All delegates in a joint photo.

Defence Minister General Phan Van Giang chaired a welcome ceremony for and held talks with UK Secretary of State for Defence Robert Ben Lobban Wallace in Hanoi on July 22.

During the talks.

During the talks, the two sides exchanged views on the world and regional situations and issues of mutual concern. They agreed that over the past time, the bilateral cooperation has been lifted to a new height, with many achievements in the fields of politics, economy, trade, culture, education, etc. Regarding defence cooperation, despite impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the two sides have basically completed the agreed cooperation contents such as maintaining the policy dialogue mechanism, stepping up delegation exchanges, training English language for Vietnamese officers, and sharing experience in UN peacekeeping missions, thus contributing to the two countries' strategic partnership.

The British side shared Vietnam's views on solving the East Sea/South China Sea issue, affirming the importance of navigation and aviation freedom, supporting the rule of law, and emphasizing that disputes need to be settled by peaceful means, based on international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

General Phan Van Giang speaking at the talks.

In the coming time, the two sides consented to continuing to promote defence ties with a focus on the exchange of delegations, the implementation of the existing cooperation mechanisms such as the Defence Policy Dialogue at the deputy ministerial level and the bilateral working group on defence cooperation, English language training for Vietnamese officers, the participation in UN peacekeeping missions, defence industry, and cooperation on multilateral forums. Vietnam supports the UK's participation in the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting Plus (ADMM+) on the basis of ASEAN consensus, and backs the UK in promoting collaboration with ASEAN, including in military defence.

General Phan Van Giang presenting the souvenir to the guest.

General Phan Van Giang expressed his pleasure to welcome and hold talks with Secretary of State for Defence Robert Ben Lobban Wallace in Hanoi amid the complicated developments of the COVID-19 pandemic in the world as well as in two countries. The move affirms the goodwill, efforts and determination of the two countries in promoting cooperation in general and defence cooperation in particular, he stated.

He took the occasion to thank the British Government for sharing experience in COVID-19 prevention and control, and putting Vietnam on the priority list of vaccines. He also suggested Wallace, within his authority, help the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence in gaining access to COVID-19 vaccines.

The UK Secretary of State for Defence talking with Vietnamese officers who joined UN peacekeeping activities.

Within the framework of his visit, the UK Secretary of State for Defence is scheduled to pay a courtesy visit to Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, visit the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam and the Vietnam National Border Committee, and have a meeting with several officers who participated in UN peacekeeping missions.