Canada's Deputy Minister of Defence Stefanie Beck. — VNS Photo Trọng Kiên

HÀ NỘI — Canada has identified Việt Nam as a priority partner in its Indo-Pacific strategy, which has been reflected in the increased defence cooperation activities in recent times.

Canada's Deputy Minister of Defence Stefanie Beck made this affirmation during her meeting with the press as part of her visit to the country to hold the 3rd Việt Nam-Canada defence dialogue with her counterpart Hoàng Xuân Chiến, and meetings with other Vietnamese leaders.

The official mentioned the increased number of ship visits and high-level military exchanges between Canada and Việt Nam in the past few months. The Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy, Vice Admiral Angus Topshee, has visited the country twice in 2024 -- first in April when he travelled to Hải Phòng City, marking him as the highest ranking officer of the Canadian Armed Forces ever to visit Việt Nam, and again in December for the Việt Nam Defence Expo in Hà Nội.

"Maritime security and prosperity is important to Canada, as well as to Việt Nam, and as the G7 presidency this year, this will be a theme for our leadership," she noted.

"We are taking part in more and more military exercises in the region, mostly by sea in the Philippines and Indonesia, and indeed recently with the French-led exercise La Pérouse in the East Sea (internationally known as the South China Sea)," Beck said.

Việt Nam and Canada are developing work plans on maritime security, and over the coming weeks, the two countries will co-chair a meeting on maritime security as part of the ASEAN Regional Forum Working Group.

Canada has also been doing lots of joint training with Việt Nam, including languages, peacekeeping, and cybersecurity.

Peacekeeping cooperation is a new highlight in bilateral defence cooperation, with an MoU signed in 2023. In the last year, Canada sponsored several courses through the Vietnamese Department of Peacekeeping Operations -- including United Nations staff officers course, a logistics officers course, and an exercise planning and preparation course.

The work plan that Việt Nam and Canada are developing for upcoming collaboration aims to have the Vietnamese Department of Peacekeeping Operations become a regional centre of excellence. This will involve exchange of delegations to participate in seminars and workshops, as well as an effort to get a Vietnamese officer posted to Canada's peacekeeping centre in Ontario where that officer will learn to design, develop, and deliver training for peacekeeping operations, according to the Canadian side.

Their goal is to be able to conduct their own United Nations accredited Staff Officer course, and we are going to assist them and support them

On the front of women's presence in peacekeeping efforts, Beck remarked that it is "important to have women as part of the peacekeeping troops who are out around the world, and Việt Nam has an excellent reputation for delivering on that commitment when you are in a country that has been at war."

"Of course, it is all the population that has been suffering. So to have women present in the efforts after a war to bring peace and to create a new, stable population, the presence of women makes a big difference."

Việt Nam has launched a national plan on Women, Peace, and Security, with the help of Canada, and the two sides are launching now -- alongside UN Women -- a project called Advancing Gender Equality with the Vietnamese Armed Forces, according to the Canadian defence official.

With regard to the question of whether Canada can assist Việt Nam with post-war relief efforts when needed, given the disruptions and uncertainty surrounding USAID's funding cut, Beck said this is an area where Canada has some expertise.

"On my posting in Cambodia and in Croatia, Canadian companies are carrying out de-mining regularly, and we have one here ready to go if the USAID funding comes back. But what we have committed to doing is take the question back to our colleagues in the foreign affairs department, because they have that part of the money, and ask them if there is something they can do to help," she said.

The issue was touched on during her talks with the Vietnamese defence ministry, and Beck said for her part Canada has some capacity to assist in the rehabilitation of land affected by Agent Orange, and she can ask scientists whether they can have solutions to tackle this issue.— VNS