Minister of National Defence General Ngô Xuân Lịch meets with his Lao counterpart General Chansamone Chanyalath in Hà Nội yesterday. — VNA/VNS Photo Dương Giang

HÀ NỘI — Minister of National Defence General Ngô Xuân Lịch met with his Lao counterpart General Chansamone Chanyalath in Hà Nội yesterday within the framework of the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Retreat (ADMM Retreat).

Welcoming the Lao People’s Army delegation to the ADMM Retreat, the host said it was an important meeting that would set directions for ASEAN defence and military co-operation for 2020 and the following years, as well as contribute to the success of the ADMM Plus.

Việt Nam hoped Laos and other ASEAN members would join hands to consolidate defence – military co-operation mechanisms and build an ASEAN Community that is cohesive and responsive to external factors in line with the 2020 theme of “Defence co-operation for a cohesive and responsive ASEAN”, chosen by the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence, Lịch noted.

For his part, Minister Chanyalath highly valued the Vietnamese ministry’s preparations for the ADMM Retreat and military – defence activities during the year the country holds the ASEAN Chairmanship.

Despite the COVID-19 outbreak, Việt Nam had played an active role in disease prevention to help participating delegations feel secure, he added.

The Lao official expressed his belief that under the chair of Việt Nam in 2020, the ADMM and ADMM Plus would uphold their important role in regional security.

At the meeting, the two sides shared the view that defence co-operation was one of the key pillars in Việt Nam-Laos relations.

Receiving Australian counterpart

On the same day, Lịch hosted a reception for Senator Linda Reynolds, the Australian Defence Minister, within the framework of the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Retreat. 

Minister of National Defence General Ngô Xuân Lịch meets with Senator Linda Reynolds, Australian Defence Minister.

The two ministers acknowledged recent steps in bilateral defence ties with effective activities within the Việt Nam – Australia defence co-operation framework. 

Reynolds lauded the Vietnamese defence ministry for holding an informal meeting between ASEAN and Australian defence ministers, which she said reflected Việt Nam’s support for Australia to enhance co-operation with the bloc in national defence as well as Việt Nam’s preparations for its ASEAN Chairmanship Year 2020. 

She believed the Vietnamese defence ministry would successfully organise ASEAN 2020 conferences and defence activities, along with sideline activities such as an international symposium on women’s role in United Nations peacekeeping missions and the first international national defence exhibition in Việt Nam. 

The Australian minister committed her full support for activities hosted by Việt Nam, and pledged to assist Việt Nam to improve foreign language training and transporting forces from Việt Nam’s peacekeeping missions. — VNS