From August 29-31, General Phan Van Giang, member of the Politburo, Deputy Secretary of the Central Military Commission, and Minister of National Defence , along with a high-level delegation from the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence, paid an official visit to the Philippines at the invitation of Defence Minister Gilberto Teodoro.
According to a VNA reporter from the Philippines, during his visit, Minister Phan Van Giang attended the official welcoming ceremony at the Philippine Department of Defense headquarters, held talks with his counterpart Gilberto Teodoro, paid a courtesy call on President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr., visited and worked with the Naval Command, visited the Vietnamese Embassy in the Philippines, laid flowers at the Ho Chi Minh Monument, and laid flowers at the Rizal Monument in Rizal Park in Manila.
During talks with Minister Gilberto Teodoro, Minister Phan Van Giang expressed his pleasure at making an official visit to the Philippines; and thanked the Philippine Ministry of Defence for the warm and thoughtful reception extended to the delegation. Minister Phan Van Giang affirmed that Vietnam consistently pursues an independent, self-reliant, peaceful , friendly, cooperative, and developmental foreign policy, multilateralizing and diversifying its foreign relations; and attaches importance to developing friendly relations with all countries, including the Philippines, a neighboring friend at sea and an active member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Defense Minister Gilberto Teodoro warmly welcomed Minister Phan Van Giang and his delegation on their official visit to the Philippines; affirming that the Philippines highly values the consolidation and further strengthening of its strategic partnership with Vietnam, and is determined to work with Vietnam to develop bilateral relations in a comprehensive, sustainable, and profound manner, making a positive contribution to peace, stability, and prosperity in the region and the world.
The two ministers emphasized that Vietnam and the Philippines are neighboring countries sharing a maritime border and are both active and responsible members of the ASEAN Community. Since the two countries officially established diplomatic relations in 1976, bilateral relations have continuously developed well in many areas. Bilateral defense cooperation has maintained positive momentum, achieving many substantive results and making important contributions to the overall development of the Vietnam-Philippines Strategic Partnership.
Minister Phan Van Giang and Minister Gilberto Teodoro assessed that both sides have great potential for cooperation in areas such as maritime security and safety; logistics; military medicine; defense industry; disaster response and search and rescue; and UN peacekeeping… Looking ahead, both sides affirmed their commitment to continue efforts to develop bilateral defense cooperation in a more practical and effective manner, actively working towards the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Strategic Partnership (2015-2025) and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations (1976-2026), focusing on areas including exchanges of delegations at all levels, especially high-level delegations; maintaining the effectiveness of existing cooperation mechanisms to share views on strategic issues, increasing mutual trust and understanding; promoting cooperation in training and cooperation between military branches; coordinating and supporting each other in multilateral forums and mechanisms,…
During the talks, the two sides also exchanged views on a number of international and regional issues of mutual concern. Both sides agreed on the importance of peace, security, stability, and freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea; reaffirmed their position on resolving disputes through peaceful means in accordance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), fully implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC), and working towards an effective and substantive Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC); and emphasized the crucial role of the Ministry of National Defence and the military in addressing and resolving maritime issues.
Stating that Vietnam will be celebrating the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Vietnam People's Army and the second Vietnam International Defence Exhibition later this year, Minister Phan Van Giang respectfully invited Minister Gilberto Teodoro and leaders of the Philippine Ministry of Defence and military to attend these events. Minister Phan Van Giang emphasized that Vietnam welcomes Philippine defence businesses to participate in the Exhibition.
At the conclusion of the talks, Minister Phan Van Giang and Minister Gilberto Teodoro witnessed the signing of a Letter of Intent between the two Ministries of Defence on strengthening cooperation in the field of humanitarian assistance and maritime disaster relief; and a Letter of Intent between the two Ministries of Defence on strengthening cooperation in the field of military medicine. Following this, Minister Phan Van Giang and Minister Gilberto Teodoro met with the press to inform them about the results of the talks.
* During the visit, on August 30, General Phan Van Giang paid a courtesy call on Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. At the meeting, General Phan Van Giang respectfully conveyed the greetings and best wishes for good health from General Secretary and President To Lam, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, and National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man to President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr.; affirming that Vietnam always values its strategic partnership with the Philippines.
President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. highly appreciated the outstanding socio-economic development achievements and remarkable foreign policy successes that Vietnam has achieved in recent years; affirmed that Vietnam continues to be the Philippines' only strategic partner in ASEAN; expressed confidence that this visit will contribute to strengthening friendly relations, cooperation, mutual understanding and trust; in which, defense cooperation will increasingly become an important pillar in the relationship between the two countries.
General Phan Van Giang expressed his hope that the Philippine Government and President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. personally would continue to pay attention to and support the two countries' Ministries of Defense in signing a defense cooperation agreement to replace the one signed in 2010; support the establishment of a hotline mechanism between the Vietnam Coast Guard and the Philippine Coast Guard to enhance the effectiveness of coordination in handling non-traditional security issues at sea; and hoped that both sides would continue to strengthen coordination and provide humane treatment to cases of fishermen violating each other's territorial waters, and promptly share information and positions on issues of mutual concern.
During the meeting, the two sides shared views on international and regional issues of common concern. General Phan Van Giang affirmed that the Vietnamese Party and State are always steadfast in their independent, self-reliant, multilateral, and diversified foreign policy, and in their steadfast national defense policy of "four no's" (no participation in military alliances; no alignment with one country against another; no allowing foreign countries to establish military bases or use territory to attack other countries; and no use of force or threat of force in international relations).
President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. and General Phan Van Giang emphasized the importance of maintaining peace, security, stability, and freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea; reaffirming their stance on resolving disputes through peaceful means, in accordance with international law, including UNCLOS 1982, fully implementing the DOC, and working towards an effective and efficient COC.
Vietnam and the Philippines will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the establishment of their strategic partnership in 2025. Therefore, President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. and General Phan Van Giang expressed confidence that the relationship between the two countries will continue to develop in various fields, including defense cooperation, commensurate with the potential and strengths of both sides.
* On the same day, General Phan Van Giang and his delegation visited the headquarters of the Philippine Navy Command. General Phan Van Giang expressed his admiration for the history and achievements of the Philippine Navy, and emphasized that as two neighboring countries at sea, Vietnam and the Philippines share common interests in ensuring maritime security and safety in the sea area between the two countries in particular, and in the region's seas in general.
The current global and regional situation is rapidly evolving, complex, and unpredictable; non-traditional security challenges are increasing at an alarming rate, including drug trafficking, smuggling, and transnational crime… This necessitates further cooperation between the maritime law enforcement forces of the two countries, with the navy playing a crucial role.
General Phan Van Giang acknowledged and commended the results of cooperation between the navies of the two countries in recent times, especially the coordinated support for fishermen from both countries who have encountered difficulties at sea. Affirming the great potential for cooperation on maritime security and safety between the two sides, which is urgent and in line with the common interests of both countries, General Phan Van Giang proposed that both sides actively coordinate in advising high-level leaders of each country on measures to enhance trust at sea, maintain security and order in the waters between the two countries, and contribute to maintaining a peaceful, friendly, cooperative, and developing maritime region.
General Phan Van Giang affirmed that the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence always supports and facilitates increased exchanges and cooperation between the navies of the two countries in particular, and the law enforcement forces of both sides in general. This will enhance mutual understanding, information sharing, and timely assistance to fishermen in distress at sea, making a positive contribution to maritime security and safety in the region. The Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence welcomes the Philippine Navy's delegation to participate in the second Vietnam International Defence Exhibition later this year.
Vice Admiral Toribio Dulinayan Adaci Jr., Commander of the Philippine Navy, warmly welcomed and expressed his honor in receiving General Phan Van Giang and his delegation to visit the headquarters of the Philippine Navy Command. Vice Admiral Toribio Dulinayan Adaci Jr. expressed his gratitude to the Ministries of Defense of both countries for always creating favorable conditions for the Philippine Navy to promote cooperation with the Vietnam People's Navy.
Emphasizing that the two countries' navies have maintained effective cooperation over the past period, Vice Admiral Toribio Dulinayan Adaci Jr. affirmed that the Philippine Navy values and wishes to strengthen its cooperative relationship with the Vietnam People's Navy.
* Earlier, on August 29, Minister Phan Van Giang and the high-level delegation from the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence laid wreaths at the Monument to President Ho Chi Minh, laid flowers at the Rizal Monument in Rizal Park in Manila, and visited and held talks with the Embassy and Vietnamese representative offices in the area.
Vietnamese Ambassador to the Philippines Lai Thai Binh briefed Minister Phan Van Giang and the delegation on the results of the Embassy's work in the past period, as well as the living conditions of the Vietnamese community in the host country.
General Phan Van Giang highly appreciated the contributions of the Embassy, including the role of Ambassador Lai Thai Binh, to promoting the Vietnam-Philippines strategic partnership in general and bilateral defense cooperation in particular; expressing confidence that the Embassy's staff will continue to unite and strive to fulfill the tasks assigned by the Party and State, contributing even more to promoting the Vietnam-Philippines relationship.
Informing Ambassador Lai Thai Binh and the staff of the Embassy about the official visit to the Philippines, General Phan Van Giang emphasized that the visit takes place in the context of the continuously developing positive relationship between Vietnam and the Philippines in many fields, including increasingly substantive and effective defense cooperation, which has been expanded in scope to suit the concerns of both countries in the new situation.
The visit aims to further strengthen cooperative relations and mutual understanding, while also guiding the promotion of effective and substantive cooperation between the two Ministries of Defense, thereby contributing to consolidating political trust between Vietnam and the Philippines. On this occasion, General Phan Van Giang expressed his hope to continue receiving the support and assistance of the Embassy to develop Vietnam-Philippines defense cooperation in an increasingly effective and substantive manner.
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