Vietnam Defense Policy Dialogue

Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien expressed his pleasure to welcome the Secretary General and the delegation of senior officials from the Indonesian Ministry of Defense to attend the 3rd Vietnam - Indonesia Defense Policy Dialogue, especially in the context of the two countries celebrating the 68th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations and the 10th anniversary of establishing the Strategic Partnership.

At the Dialogue, the two sides agreed that, on the basis of the good relations between the two countries, the defense cooperation between Vietnam and Indonesia has achieved many important results in recent times, contributing positively to the continuous development of the Vietnam - Indonesia Strategic Partnership. Based on the contents agreed upon at the 2nd Vietnam - Indonesia Defense Policy Dialogue, the two sides have promoted cooperation, achieving many remarkable results in the fields of: exchanging delegations at all levels; maintaining consultation and dialogue mechanisms; cooperation between military branches and services, training, coordination, and mutual support at multilateral forums and mechanisms led by ASEAN. The Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense highly appreciated the signing of the Agreement on Standard Procedures for Joint Exercises by the Navies of the two countries (December 2021), and the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on Maritime Security and Safety Cooperation (December 2022) by the Coast Guards of the two countries, which laid the foundation for promoting increasingly effective and substantive cooperation in law enforcement at sea. The two Heads of Delegation also highly appreciated the results of the 5th Joint Working Group Meeting on Military and Defense Cooperation and the 3rd Joint Working Group Meeting on Defense Industry Cooperation held earlier.

Regarding the direction of cooperation in the coming time, the two sides affirmed that they will continue to make efforts to make bilateral defense cooperation more substantive and effective, contributing to the efforts of the two countries towards upgrading the relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership; focusing on the following areas: exchanging delegations at all levels, especially high-level delegations; promoting the effectiveness of consultation and dialogue mechanisms; enhancing substantive and effective cooperation between the two countries' military branches, especially between the Navy, Coast Guard, and defense industry; attaching importance to cooperation in training and strategic research; promoting cooperation in potential areas of cooperation where both sides have strengths and needs. The two sides agreed to closely coordinate and support each other at multilateral forums and mechanisms, especially those led by ASEAN; and support events hosted by each country.

The two sides also shared their views on the world and regional situations of common concern, highly appreciated the role of the region and ASEAN-led mechanisms, and affirmed their joint efforts to actively contribute to strengthening and consolidating ASEAN's solidarity and central role in the regional security structure. The two sides also shared the importance of ensuring freedom, security, and safety of navigation and aviation in the East Sea, emphasizing the need to promote commitments and implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and promote the early conclusion of negotiations and signing of a substantive, effective Code of Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (COC) in accordance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

On this occasion, Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien congratulated Indonesia on its successful assumption of the ASEAN Chairmanship in 2023; and congratulated the Indonesian National Army on its successful organization of the first ASEAN Solidarity Exercise (September 2023). He believed that, with the achieved results, the ADMM and ADMM+ Conferences organized by the Indonesian Ministry of Defense in November will continue to make important contributions to promoting solidarity and the central role of ASEAN in the regional security structure. He affirmed that Vietnam persists in its foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralization, and diversification of international relations, as well as its defense policy of "four no's". Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien respectfully invited the leaders of the Indonesian Ministry of Defense and National Army, as well as Indonesian businesses to Vietnam to attend the Vietnam International Defense Exhibition 2024.

Lieutenant General Donny Ermawan Taufanto, Secretary General of the Indonesian Ministry of Defense, thanked the Vietnamese Ministry of Defense and Deputy Minister Hoang Xuan Chien for their thoughtful and respectful reception. He said that the cooperation between the two sides is comprehensive, especially defense cooperation, which is considered one of the pillars in the relationship between the two countries. Indonesia attaches importance to this dialogue, the results of the joint working groups, and pledges to make efforts to promote defense development, commensurate with the potential of the two countries./.

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