VNHNO - A delegation of the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence has voiced its support for the Republic of Korea’s (RoK) ties with ASEAN, both bilaterally and multilaterally, affirming that this relationship will bring peace, stability and development to both sides.
The delegation, led by Deputy Defence Minister Sen. Lt. Gen. Nguyen Chi Vinh, paid a working visit to the RoK from September 12 to 14, to attend an ASEAN-RoK deputy defence ministerial meeting and the seventh Seoul Defence Dialogue.
Vietnam has strong economic, diplomatic and political links with the RoK, so the latter also looks forwards to Vietnam’s support, Deputy Defence Minister Vinh said.
Deputy Defence Minister Sen. Lt. Gen. Nguyen Chi Vinh. Photo: VNA
Meanwhile, this year’s Seoul Defence Dialogue focused on how to build sustainable peace in Northeast Asia and the Asia-Pacific. Officials from 51 countries and leading military-defence scientists from around the world attended the event.
At the dialogue, the Vietnamese delegation highlighted the cooperation to ensure marine security, noting that issues relating to this matter need to be solved by peaceful measures on the basis of international law, Vinh said.
He added that the Vietnamese side’s speech attracted a lot of attention and support from many foreign officials and researchers.
He emphasised that the country’s viewpoint on security, including maritime security, has been consistent despite situational changes. In particular, it has to ensure that it safeguards national sovereignty and security, pays attention to the security of the region and other nations, adheres to international law, and does not use or threaten to use force to solve conflicts.
Vietnam also demands that the international community behaves in the same manner, the officer noted, adding that its consistent stance received great global support.
Aside from participating in the two aforementioned events, the Vietnamese delegation also met with high-ranking officials of the RoK Ministry of National Defence to review their bilateral cooperation and prepare for a defence policy dialogue between the two countries’ deputy ministers in Hanoi this December.
Vinh said the RoK has cooperated with Vietnam in various fields and that this partnership has proven effective. The two sides have also worked together to ensure defence and contribute towards peace and stability.
The two sides agreed that in the bilateral strategic partnership, defence cooperation must always be one of the key pillars to enhance mutual trust, he added.
During their stay in the RoK, the Vietnamese delegation also had working sessions with RoK post-war settlement agencies, the foreign ministry, and the Korea International Cooperation Agency.
The Deputy Minister said Vietnam had thanked the RoK for its assistance in addressing the consequences of war. The RoK recently provided Vietnam with 20 million USD in non-refundable aid to solve unexploded ordnance problems in Binh Dinh, Quang Binh and certain other provinces. It has also helped improve Vietnam’s capacity of settling war consequences.
Additionally, the RoK’s support at international forums is particularly important as it affirms that, although Vietnam is a war-torn nation with the international community’s assistance, the country has made active efforts to address those consequences, Vinh noted./.
