Vietnamese Deputy Minister of National Defence Sen. Lieut. Gen. Nguyen Chi Vinh (L) and Philippine Secretary of National Defense Delfin N. Lorenzana

The event was co-chaired by Vietnamese Deputy Minister of National Defence Sen. Lieut. Gen. Nguyen Chi Vinh and Philippine Undersecretary of Department of National Defense Cardozo M. Luna.

On the occasion, Vinh had meetings with Philippine Secretary of National Defense Delfin N. Lorenzana, National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr, and Executive Director of Cabinet Cluster on Security, Justice and Peace of the Presidential Office Emmanuel T. Bautista.

At the dialogue and meetings, the Philippine officials highly valued the visit of the Vietnamese defence delegation, saying the two countries’ defence cooperation has been making important contributions to deepening the bilateral strategic partnership.

They affirmed to enhance cooperation with Vietnam and prioritise the field of defence because the two nations could share a lot of benefits and challenges in terms of strategy.

The Philippine side thanked Vietnam for supporting and saving Philippine fishermen being in distress at sea.

For his part, Vinh said Vietnam hopes to step up defence relations with the Philippines on the basis of respecting the countries’ independence and sovereignty, contributing to the maintenance of peace, stability and security in the region.

The two sides had in-depth exchanges of views on regional security and military-defence cooperation in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as well as the defence relations between Vietnam and the Philippines.

They agreed to improve all bilateral and multilateral dialogue and cooperation mechanisms to effectively cope with emerging challenges.

ASEAN cooperation mechanisms or ASEAN-led ones, including the ASEAN Defence Ministerial Meeting (ADMM) and ADMM , play a significant role in ensuring peace, stability and development in the region, they affirmed and agreed to strengthen solidarity and maintain the central and leading role of ASEAN in the regional security architecture.

Both sides expressed their satisfaction over the bilateral defence cooperation over the past time, especially the exchanges of delegations and viewpoints on strategic issues, cooperation among army soldiers, and information sharing.

They were unanimous to continuously implement fully cooperation contents in the signed agreements.

Vietnam and the Philippines also agreed to actively support each other at multilateral forums, especially in 2020 when Vietnam takes the role of ASEAN Chair, to maintain solidarity and consensus and promote the central role of the ASEAN.-VNA