On the afternoon of April 23, at the headquarters of the Ministry of Defense, General Nguyen Tan Cuong - Member of the Party Central Committee, Standing Member of the Central Military Commission, General Staff of the People's Army (People's Army) of Vietnam, Deputy Minister of National Defense - met with Admiral David Lance Johnston - Commander of the Australian Defense Force on the occasion of visiting and working in Vietnam.
Speaking at the meeting, General Nguyen Tan Cuong emphasized that Vietnam always attaches importance to its relationship with Australia and Australia's potential and position in the international and regional arena.
The two countries' official upgrading of their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in March 2024 is an important milestone, creating favorable conditions to further promote cooperation in various fields, including defense.
General Nguyen Tan Cuong highly appreciated the results of defense cooperation between the two armies in recent times, especially the implementation of cooperation contents agreed upon by both sides, outstanding in areas such as training, United Nations peacekeeping, military medicine, etc. At the same time, he expressed his gratitude to Australia for supporting the transportation of Vietnam's Level 2 Field Hospital to carry out the United Nations peacekeeping mission in South Sudan (September 2024).
Australia's support not only helps Vietnam deploy forces quickly and safely, but also has important political significance, contributing to deepening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries, demonstrating a common responsibility for world peace.
In the coming time, General Nguyen Tan Cuong suggested that the two sides continue to coordinate effectively implementing cooperation contents on the basis of consensus between senior leaders of the two countries and the two Ministries of National Defense, focusing on the following areas: Promoting delegation exchanges and dialogue - consultation mechanisms; expanding training cooperation, especially English and military training for Vietnamese soldiers.
Prioritize promoting peacekeeping cooperation and coordinating the effective implementation of the Plan to implement the Agreement on peacekeeping Partnership between the two governments (signed in March 2024).
Strengthen cooperation between the army, branches, border guards, Coast Guard, and military medicine; effectively coordinate in multilateral cooperation activities, especially within the framework of ADMM+...
General Nguyen Tan Cuong also emphasized that Vietnam is ready to invite Australian officers to continue Vietnamese language training at the Academy of Military Sciences and attend the Senior National Defense Official Course at the National Defense Academy.
At the meeting, Admiral David Lance Johnston expressed his delight at the positive developments in the relationship between the two countries in recent times, especially in the field of defense, in line with the framework of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
Admiral David Lance Johnston highly appreciated the signing of the peacekeeping Partnership Agreement - an important milestone in bilateral cooperation.
Admiral Johnston expressed his hope that the relationship between the two countries would continue to develop more strongly, while emphasizing the need to seek new areas of cooperation that are suitable for the needs and capabilities of each side.
