Many countries have voiced their wish to boost defence relations with Vietnam during their representatives’ separate bilateral meetings with Vietnamese counterparts on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue, Defence Minister General Phung Quang Thanh has said.

Defence Minister General Phung Quang Thanh (right) and US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel (Photo: VNA)

General Thanh had separate meetings with his counterparts from New Zealand, Singapore, the US, the UK, France, Japan and Australia during the 13th Asia Security Forum, known as Shangri-La Dialogue, in Singapore from May 30 to June 1.

Vietnamese Defence Minister meets with Japanese counterpart (Photo: Dang Le/ qdnd.vn)

Meanwhile, Deputy Defence Minister, Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh held separate working sessions with Russian Deputy Minister of Defence Anatoly Antonov, Deputy Chief of General Staff of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army - Lieutenant General Wang Guanzhong, and Chairman of the US Joint Chief of Staff - General Martin Dempsey.

Vietnamese Defence Minister General Phung Quang Thanh meets with his Singaporean counterpart Ng Eng Heng (Photo: VNA)

Talking to a Vietnam News Agency correspondent in Singapore, General Thanh said that those countries’ representatives wished to be updated on the current East Sea situation and the Vietnamese Defence Ministry leaders shared information in an objective and constructive manner.

Vietnamese Defence Minister meets with his Australian counterpart (Photo: Dang Le/qdnd.vn)

Bilateral issues, such as the exchange of all-level delegations, information sharing and hotline establishment were also discussed, he said, adding that Vietnam suggested countries continue to help Vietnam in training its military officers in English language.

Vietnamese Defence Minister Phung Quang Thanh and his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian

According to the minister, several countries paid attention to providing Vietnam with experience and resources in participating in peacekeeping missions while applauding Vietnam’s official appointment of its officers to the UN peacekeeping force in South Sudan .

The bilateral meeting between Vietnamese Defence Delegation headed by Deputy Defence Minister, Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh and Chinese PLA Delegation (Photo: VNA)

The bilateral meeting between Vietnamese Deputy Defence Minister, Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh and Russian Deputy Minister of Defence Anatoly Antonov (Photo: VNA)

Japan and the US said they are willing to help Vietnam’s Coast Guard force improve its sea management capacity, Thanh said.

He stated that many countries praised the Vietnamese People’s Army for its proactive international integration and showing a sense of responsibility in bilateral and multilateral cooperation under the mechanisms of the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) and the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM+).

Source: vietnamplus.vn