General Nguyễn Trọng Nghĩa, Director of the General Department of Politics of the Việt Nam People's Army, presents a gift to Lieutenant General Viktor Khrenin, Belarusian Minister of Defence, in Minsk on Wednesday. VNA/VNS Photo

MINSK — General Nguyễn Trọng Nghĩa, Director of the General Department of Politics of the Việt Nam People's Army (VPA), on Wednesday held talks with Lieutenant General Viktor Khrenin, Belarusian Minister of Defence, during his official visit to the European country.

Reviewing the outcomes of bilateral defence cooperation in recent years, Nghĩa, also Politburo member, member of the Party Central Committee and member of the Standing Committee of the Central Military Commission, said the two sides have effectively implemented a range of joint work, focusing on delegation exchanges, particularly high-level contacts, sharing of experience between military services and branches, and training cooperation. These results demonstrate the importance both sides attach to and their desire to further strengthen defence cooperation in areas of mutual interest.

He proposed that the Belarusian side continue to increase training quotas, particularly by accepting Vietnamese military personnel for operational- and strategic-level training. The Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence is ready to receive Belarusian trainees to study Vietnamese and participate in United Nations military observer training courses.

To further deepen overall defence cooperation, as well as ties between the VPA General Department of Politics and the Main Ideological Directorate of Belarus’ Ministry of Defence, Nghĩa suggested that the two sides coordinate in implementing key areas, including high-level delegation exchanges and contacts, exchanges among young officers, cooperation between military services and branches, training of military personnel and experts, and cooperation in military news and communications, cinematography, military libraries, women's affairs and defence industry.

He also called for strengthened communications and education on the history and significance of the traditional friendship and the Việt Nam-Belarus strategic partnership.

On the occasion, Nghĩa conveyed an invitation from General Phan Văn Giang, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence, to Belarusian defence leaders to visit Việt Nam and attend the third International Defence Expo in Hà Nội, scheduled for December.

For his part, Khrenin emphasised that Belarus always considers Việt Nam one of its priorities in its foreign policy towards the Asia-Pacific region and wishes to continue consolidating and developing bilateral ties, while promoting and further deepening defence cooperation in the spirit of the traditional friendship and multifaceted collaboration between the two countries.

He affirmed that bilateral relations have entered a new level, namely a strategic partnership established based on the outcomes of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam Central Committee Tô Lâm's visit to Belarus in May 2025. The Vietnamese and Belarusian defence ministries have established a cooperation framework, opening new prospects in areas where the two sides have potential and strengths.

The same day, during a visit to the Military Academy of Belarus, Nghĩa held a working session with the academy's leadership and toured its specialised classrooms.

Thanking the Belarusian side for providing favourable and high-quality training opportunities for Vietnamese military trainees, Nghĩa affirmed that training cooperation is a bright spot strengthening the solidarity and close bonds between the two militaries within the framework of the strategic partnership. — VNA/VNS