Chief of the General Staff of the Việt Nam People’s Army and Deputy Defence Minister Phan Văn Giang (right) holds talks with Undersecretary of State for Defence Angelo Tofalo. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — The third Việt Nam-Italy defence policy dialogue was held in Hà Nội on Wednesday under the co-chair of Deputy Defence Minister Bế Xuân Trường and Undersecretary of State for Defence of Italy Angelo Tofalo.
The officials exchanged views on regional and global issues of shared concern and reviewed the outcomes of bilateral defence co-operation reaped after the second defence policy dialogue.
They agreed on the contents and measures to step up co-operation in the future, especially ways to maximise the operation efficiency of the defence policy dialogue at the deputy defence minister level and the working group on defence co-operation.
They also agreed to intensify collaboration at multilateral mechanisms and forums, maintain partnership in training, especially language training, enhance co-operation in UN peacekeeping via the exchange of experts in the field, and set up an international co-operation mechanism on bomb and mine consequences recovery in Việt Nam.
Later, Undersecretary of State for Defence Angelo Tofalo was received by Chief of the General Staff of the Việt Nam People’s Army and Deputy Defence Minister Phan Văn Giang.
Giang expressed his hope that the maintenance and effective implementation of co-operative mechanisms will contribute greatly to increasing bilateral defence cooperation and Việt Nam-Italy defence ties will become a pillar of the two countries’ strategic partnership.
Việt Nam and Italy signed a memorandum of understanding on defence co-operation in 2013.
During their time in Việt Nam, Italy’s defence officers visited the Hồng Hà ship-building factory, the Northern Helicopter Company, several historical and cultural relic sites in Hà Nội and Hạ Long Bay in Quảng Ninh Province. — VNS