State President Lương Cường chairs the sixth meeting of the Council for National Defence and Security on Monday. VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — State President Lương Cường on Monday urged authorities to be in a state of prepardness in terms of defending the nation.

He was presiding over the sixth meeting of the Council for National Defence and Security for the 2021–26 term.

Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính, the council’s vice chairman and National Assembly Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn, a council member, attended the session.

The council discussed global, regional and domestic developments affecting Việt Nam’s national defence, security and foreign affairs.

They reviewed the implementation of key national defence and security tasks and proposed key contents for the upcoming seventh session.

On behalf of the council, President Cường, who is also the council’s chairman, praised the thorough preparation for the meeting and acknowledged the strategic, insightful feedback made by council members.

The feedback will be submitted to the Politburo and other competent authorities aimed at reinforcing Việt Nam’s defence, security and international relations, he said.

In the context of increasingly complex and unpredictable global and regional dynamics, the President urged relevant agencies to continue building on recent achievements.

He called for effective implementation of the directives and decisions of the Politburo, the Party Central Secretariat, the National Assembly and the Government, as well as guidance from Party General Secretary Tô Lâm on defence, security and foreign policy.

The President highlighted the importance of effectively carrying out the 13th Party Central Committee’s Resolution No 8 on the strategy for safeguarding the Fatherland in the new situation.

The focus will be on firmly protecting national independence, sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity while ensuring national security and social order and deepening comprehensive international integration.

Cường also stressed the need to restructure and streamline armed forces in line with new requirements, while accelerating the implementation of the Politburo’s Resolution No 57-NQ/TW on breakthroughs in science, technology, innovation and national digital transformation—crucial for entering a new era of prosperous national development.

He concluded by underscoring the need for continuous monitoring, analysis and forecasting of strategic issues affecting national defence, security, and diplomacy, so as to ensure timely advice to the Party and State, avoiding unexpected events in any situation. VNS