Việt Nam's defence minister Gen. Phan Văn Giang meets his French counterpart Sébastien Lecornu in Hà Nội on May 26. — VNA/VNS Photo Trọng Đức

HÀ NỘI — Minister of National Defence General Phan Văn Giang on Monday said that ample room remains for defence cooperation between Việt Nam and France when he met with French Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu, who is part of the delegation led by French President Emmanuel Macron on a State visit to Việt Nam.

Giang highly appreciated the positive development in the Việt Nam–France relations, especially the upgrade of their relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership on the occasion of the official visit to France by Party General Secretary and State President Tô Lâm in October 2024.

He emphasised that the two countries’ defence cooperation has continued to be strengthened and developed practically and effectively in many fields, in line with the contents agreed upon by the two countries' senior leaders and the two defence ministries, as well as the signed cooperation documents, notably in areas such as delegation exchanges, training, United Nations peacekeeping, and defence industry.

Minister of National Defence General Phan Văn Giang welcomed French Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu to their talks on May 26. — VNA/VNS Photo

Affirming that there is still much potential for defence cooperation between the two ministries, Giang suggested that in the future, the two sides should continue to well implement the cooperation orientations on the basis of the joint perceptions of the two countries' senior leaders and the annual cooperation programme.

On this occasion, Giang thanked the Ministry of the Armed Forces for sending a delegation and defence enterprises to attend and display products at the Việt Nam International Defence Expo 2024, contributing to the overall success of the event.

Expressing his delight at visiting Việt Nam for the second time, Lecornu emphasised that the meeting with the Vietnamese minister is an important sign of the good development in the relationship between the two countries. Việt Nam and France share the desire for peace, respect for international law and mutual respect, he said.

Recalling the cooperation contents just agreed upon by the two countries' senior leaders during the State visit to Việt Nam by French President Macron, Lecornu said that he hopes that the two sides will actively promote cooperation in the field of defence, thereby continuing to make more substantial and effective contributions to the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries. — VNA/VNS

Minister of National Defence General Phan Văn Giang and French Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu exchanged a letter of intent on further cooperation in military materiels, under the witness of French President Emmanuel Macron and Vietnamese President Lương Cường. — VNA/VNS Photo