HÀ NỘI — President Trần Đại Quang told visiting Russian Minister of Defence Sergey Shoyu yesterday that co-operation in defence and military technology continues to play an important role in Việt Nam-Russia relations. 
At a reception for the Russian minister in Hà Nội, Quang spoke highly of the development of the Việt Nam-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership and high-level agreements reached in 2017. 
Việt Nam always remembered Russia’s great support for the country’s past struggle for national liberation and current nation building and safeguarding, he said, affirming Việt Nam’s consistent policy of strengthening the bilateral partnership in all fields. 
The Vietnamese leader hailed efforts made by the two defence ministries and Russian partners to implement the two countries’ priority tasks in 2017. 
Minister Sergey Shoyu briefed the host on the outcomes of his talks with his Vietnamese counterpart Ngô Xuân Lịch, during which they agreed on measures to consolidate and develop the traditional friendship and comprehensive co-operation. 
He said they had mapped out a plan for co-operation until 2020, with a focus on military technological and training co-operation and delegation exchanges to share experience in the defence field. 
The minister noted that the two defence ministries held the third strategic defence dialogue at deputy ministerial level in Hà Nội in November last year. Every year, Russia provides scholarships for officers of the Vietnamese defence ministry. 
The two ministries have also signed agreements on co-operation in UN peacekeeping activities and co-ordination in the framework of the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM+). 
President Quang appreciated the outcomes of the talks between the two ministers and expressed his support for measures they had agreed on.
He asked the two defence ministries to speed up negotiations towards the signing of a plan for defence co-operation during 2018-20.

Defence partnership strengthened

Also yesterday, Vietnamese Minister of National Defence General Ngô Xuân Lịch welcomed the visit of his Russian counterpart from January 22-23. The visit signals the context of dynamic and effective development of the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership in general and defence ties in particular. 
He noted that the visit demonstrated the commitment of the two defence ministry leaders to promoting bilateral defence co-operation, contributing to the traditional friendship and comprehensive strategic partnership of the two countries. 
Minister Sergei Shoigu affirmed that Russia considered Việt Nam a traditional friend and an important strategic partner in the region. 
During the talks, the two ministers expressed their pleasure at the strong development of bilateral defence collaboration in the past. Along with the thriving comprehensive strategic partnership, the bilateral defence co-operation has been expanded and reinforced through all-level delegation exchange, military technical and naval co-operation, UN peacekeeping activities and experience-sharing in military law, history, art, culture, and sports. 
The two sides agreed to share viewpoints on defence-security matters of mutual concern and boost co-ordination in traditional fields, including military technical co-operation, on a long-term and win-win basis for mutual benefits and peace, stability in the region and around the world. — VNS