Colonel Phạm Minh Thắng, head of the Việt Nam Department of Peacekeeping Operations (left) and Japanese Vice Minister of Defence for International Affairs Serizawa Kiyoshi had talks. — Photo from People's Army Newspaper

HÀ NỘI — Japanese Vice Minister of Defence for International Affairs Serizawa Kiyoshi visited the Việt Nam Department of Peacekeeping Operations in Hà Nội on Tuesday, during which the two sides sought cooperation opportunities in UN peacekeeping in the time ahead.

Kiyoshi was in Hà Nội to co-chair the 10th Việt Nam-Japan Defence Policy Dialogue at the deputy ministerial level, which took place later the same day.

The official highlighted cooperation between the two countries in peacekeeping operations, and expressed his hope for further collaboration in the areas where both have strengths and demand.

For his part, Colonel Phạm Minh Thắng, head of the department, thanked Japan for its support to Việt Nam in UN peacekeeping, and suggested the two sides promote cooperation in this regard.

The two sides agreed to strengthen such cooperation through the exchange of delegations and expertise, training and technical support, as well as coordination in organising relevant conferences, workshops and forums.

Japan will continue to invite Vietnamese soldiers to short-term peacekeeping training courses and exercises in the country, and help the Southeast Asian nation raise capacity for its peacekeeping lecturers.

In addition, professional, cultural, and sport exchanges will be held for Vietnamese and Japanese forces deployed at the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).

Japan is an important international partner of Việt Nam in UN peacekeeping, with a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by the two countries' defence ministries in September 2015.

Multilaterally, the two countries have coordinated, co-chaired, and successfully organised meetings and activities of the Experts' Working Group on Peacekeeping Operations within the framework of the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM+).

They have also worked together within the UN Triangular Partnership Programme (TPP), with Japan coordinating and supporting Việt Nam to conduct three training courses for peacekeeping engineers. — VNS