Deputy Minister of Defence Sen. Lieut. Gen. Hoàng Xuân Chiến (second from left) attends the 20th Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. – VNA/VNS Photo

SINGAPORE – The Vietnamese delegation to the 20th Shangri-La Dialogue, led by Deputy Minister of Defence Sen. Lieut. Gen. Hoàng Xuân Chiến, attended plenary sessions, the official banquet and bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the event, which took place in Singapore from June 2-4.

At the meeting between Chiến and General Robert Brieger, chairman of the EU Military Committee, the two sides shared delight at the bilateral defence cooperation over the years on the foundation of the EU-Việt Nam Comprehensive Partnership and Cooperation Framework Agreement (PCA) and the EU-Việt Nam Framework Participation Agreement (FPA).

Brieger thanked Việt Nam for sending two officers to work as lecturers at the EU training mission in the Central African Republic, and affirmed that the EU would continue sending their officers to support the Việt Nam Department of Peacekeeping Operations.

Chiến highly valued the outcomes of the bilateral cooperation in training, and proposed the EU side continue to further promote cooperation in overcoming the war consequences in Việt Nam.

At a meeting with Cipolla Christine, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) regional director for Asia-Pacific, Chiến spoke highly of the fruitful cooperation between Việt Nam and the ICRC in training, UN peacekeeping, and war aftermath settlement.

He affirmed that the Government as well as ministries, sectors and agencies of Việt Nam always paid great attention to humanitarian cooperation, and thanked the ICRC for its support and cooperation in dealing with consequences of dioxin, bombs and mines, and explosives left over from wars in Việt Nam.

Christine lauded the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence’s efforts to disseminate the International Humanitarian Law and the Law of Armed Conflict. She congratulated Việt Nam for the country’s success in UN peacekeeping activities.

During his stay in Singapore, Chiến also had a meeting with James Crabtree, executive director of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Asia, who thanked Việt Nam for attending the 20th Shangri-La dialogue.

Chiến congratulated the IISS and the Ministry of Defence of Singapore for successfully organising the 20th Shangri-La dialogue. He affirmed that the Vietnamese Ministry of Defence highly valued the event, and would continue to attend the dialogue and meetings within the dialogue’s framework in the future.

The IISS Shangri-La Dialogue is Asia's premier defence summit where ministers debate the region’s most pressing security challenges, engage in important bilateral talks, and come up with fresh approaches together. – VNS