General Phan Van Giang holds talks with Belarusian Defense Minister

Minister Phan Van Giang and Minister Khrenin Viktor Gennadievich.

Welcoming General Phan Van Giang to join the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation accompanying General Secretary To Lam and his wife on a state visit to Belarus, Minister Gennadievich emphasized that Belarus always considers Vietnam one of the priorities in its foreign policy in the Asia- Pacific region and hopes that the two sides will continue to consolidate, nurture and develop bilateral relations; promote and deepen defense cooperation in the spirit of traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation between the two countries.

General Phan Van Giang expressed his pleasure at meeting Minister Gennadievich again after the latter's official visit to Vietnam in December 2024; emphasized that the relationship between Vietnam and Belarus has been continuously developing over more than three decades since the establishment of diplomatic relations, in which defense cooperation is one of the important pillars; highly appreciated the achievements that Belarus has made in socio-economic development, science, technology and defense.

Members of the Vietnamese delegation at the talks.

Members of the Belarusian delegation at the talks.

The two sides assessed that since the talks between the two countries ' Defense Ministers in Hanoi in December 2024, bilateral defense cooperation has been effectively implemented and achieved many important results, notably in the fields of: Exchange of delegations at all levels, training, military science, politics, military, continued support and sending delegations to participate in international multilateral activities organized by each side... The two sides also agreed to establish a bilateral working group on defense cooperation to advise and propose to the leaders of the two countries' Defense Ministries directions and measures to strengthen cooperative relations.

The two Ministers expressed their joy and agreed that the upgrading of Vietnam and Belarus to a strategic partnership during General Secretary To Lam's visit is the foundation and driving force for the two countries to enter a new phase of cooperation in many fields, including defense cooperation.

View of the meeting.

Regarding the direction of cooperation in the coming time, the two sides agreed to direct the agencies and units of the two Ministries of National Defense to closely coordinate and effectively implement the 2025 Defense Cooperation Plan; study and consider expanding cooperation in training through short-term courses, exchanging experiences in areas where both sides have strengths and needs; promote exchanges and concretize military science cooperation; actively promote further cooperation activities, exchange experiences, and political and military exchanges, especially in contents such as political and ideological education for soldiers, training, information and communication, military history, military justice; promote the exchange of visiting and vacation delegations; strengthen military technical cooperation; support and participate in international multilateral events organized by the two Ministries of National Defense, etc.

General Phan Van Giang expressed his hope that the Belarusian Ministry of Defense will continue to support and send a delegation to attend the Vietnam International Defense Exhibition in the next editions.

Highly agreeing with the proposals of General Phan Van Giang and the issues discussed by the two sides to enhance cooperation, Minister Gennadievich expressed his belief that this meeting will continue to develop bilateral defense relations in a practical and effective manner, contributing to promoting the traditional friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and Belarus, in line with the interests of the two countries, contributing to peace, stability and development of each country and the region.

Major General Vu Thanh Van, Director of the Department of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of National Defense of Vietnam and Major General Valeri Revenko, Director of the Department of International Military Cooperation, Ministry of Defense of Belarus signed the Regulations on the operation of the bilateral working group on defense cooperation between Vietnam and Belarus.

After the talks, General Phan Van Giang and Minister Gennadievich witnessed the signing ceremony of the Regulations on the activities of the bilateral working group on Vietnam - Belarus defense cooperation. Previously, under the witness of General Secretary To Lam and President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko, the two Ministers exchanged the Letter of Intent on enhancing cooperation in training military personnel and experts between the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense and the Belarusian Ministry of National Defense.

* On the afternoon of May 11, in Minsk, within the framework of the meeting between General Secretary To Lam and the Belarusian Association for Friendship and Cultural Exchange with Foreign Countries, the Belarusian-Vietnamese Friendship Association and former Belarusian experts who helped Vietnam, General Phan Van Giang met with Mr. Braga Vasili Ivanovich, Chairman of the Belarusian Veterans Association who helped Vietnam.

At the meeting, General Phan Van Giang congratulated the 80th anniversary of the Victory Day in the Great Patriotic War, and announced that Vietnam had recently successfully organized the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification and would soon organize the 80th anniversary of the National Day on September 2; thanked the contributions and assistance of former Belarusian experts to Vietnam in the past struggle for national liberation and reunification as well as in the current national construction and development; wished the former Belarusian experts to maintain their health and continue to contribute to the traditional friendship, the Vietnam-Belarus Strategic Partnership in general and the bilateral defense cooperation in particular. General Phan Van Giang invited Mr. Braga Vasili Ivanovich and former Belarusian experts to visit Vietnam at an appropriate time.

Mr. Braga Vasili Ivanovich congratulated Vietnam on successfully organizing the 50th Anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification Day; thanked the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense for its attention and affection for former Belarusian experts; and affirmed that he would continue to contribute to the traditional friendship and the newly upgraded Strategic Partnership between the two countries.

News and photos: THU TRANG (from Minsk, Republic of Belarus)

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Source: https://baodaknong.vn/dai-tuong-phan-van-giang-hoi-dam-voi-bo-truong-quoc-phong-belarus-252333.html