Vietnam, Philippines seek to strengthen defence cooperation

The Philippines treasures its cooperation with Vietnam and hopes to further develop their bilateral defence ties, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte informed Vietnamese Minister of National Defence General Ngo Xuan Lich.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and Vietnam's Defence Minister Ngo Xuan Lich

At a reception for the minister in Manila, on October 25, as part of Lich’s visit to the Philippines, President Duterte affirmed that defence is one of the major pillars in the Philippines-Vietnam strategic partnership. He vowed to continue backing the collaboration between the two armies.

General Lich congratulated the Philippines on fulfilling its role as the ASEAN Chair in 2017, confirming that the country has contributed to boosting the defence cooperation within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), as well as between ASEAN and its partners.

On October 26, Minister Lich held talks with his Philippine counterpart Delfin Lorenzana, during which he affirmed that the Philippines is considered as an important and prioritised partner in Vietnam’s foreign policy.

Lorenzana said that the Philippines wants to strengthen its relations with Vietnam, with priority given to defence ties. He pledged to do his utmost to deepen their bilateral defence cooperation.

To continue the effective implementation of their signed agreements, the ministers agreed to maintain the exchange of delegations, boost exchanges between young officers, and promote the efficiency of the deputy ministerial defence policy dialogue.

They remain committed to intensifying their collaboration in training, supporting each other at multilateral forums and coordinating in studying and producing products of the defence industry.

As the region is facing numerous non-traditional security challenges, the ministers agreed to strengthen cooperation between the two armies, especially the naval and coastguard forces, and study a cooperation mechanism between law enforcement forces at sea to maintain peace and security in the region and ensure safety for fishermen.

(Source: NDO)