General Yamazaki Koji, Chief of Staff, Joint Staff of Japan Self-Defence Forces, pays an official visit to Vietnam from March 1 to 4. (Photo: VNA)

On March 2, he paid a courtesy visit to General Ngo Xuan Lich, Minister of National Defence of Vietnam.

General Lich expressed his belief that the visit will contribute to deepening the bilateral strategic partnership and create a new momentum for the cooperation between the Vietnam People’s Army and the SDF of Japan.

General Yamazaki Koji affirmed that the defence partnership is one of the important activities that contribute to the bilateral friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and Japan as well as to peace, collaboration, and development in the region and beyond.

General Ngo Xuan Lich, Minister of National Defence of Vietnam (R) and General Yamazaki Koji, Chief of Staff, Joint Staff of Japan Self-Defence Forces (Photo: VNA)

Earlier the same day, Senior Lieutenant General Phan Van Giang, Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) and Deputy Minister of Defence, held talks with the top Japanese SDF officer.

During the talks, the host and guest agreed that the cooperation between the VPA and SDF has been carried out effectively based on the joint vision statement signed in April 2018 between the two defence ministries on bilateral defence relations towards the upcoming decade.

The two sides have actively held exchanges and consultations, as well as coordinated to open training courses and professional exchanges in flight safety, aviation medicine, underwater medicine, aviation rescue, information technology, cyber security, and sappers’ participation in the United Nations peacekeeping operations.

The bilateral coordination and mutual support at multilateral forums, especially the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM+) have been further strengthened.

Vietnam supports Japan’s initiatives on activities within the framework of the Vientiane Vision to promote Japan-ASEAN defence cooperation.

The country also backs Japan’s active engagement in cooperation mechanisms that help maintain peace, stability and development in the region and the world.

The Vietnamese side suggested Japan expand the forms of training and increase the number of scholarships to Vietnamese students, especially in training in high technology and Japanese language.

Vietnam invites Japanese senior officers to attend international courses at the Vietnam National Defence Academy and Japanese military students to learn Vietnamese.

The two sides agreed to step up cooperation in scientific and military medicine research, sharing of experience in natural disaster relief, humanitarian aid, management of hospitals, and transfer of new technologies.

They will also implement collaboration in military shipbuilding and goods production.

Vietnam asked for Japan’s help in training technical experts in defence industry and receiving high-skilled Vietnamese workers to work in Japan.

Vietnam also hopes to learn from Japan’s experience in state management of defence industry in the market economy and receive assistance in building strategies to develop its peacekeeping force./.VNA

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