Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Defence Sen. Lieut. Gen. Hoàng Xuân Chiến. — VNA/VNS Photo Hồng Pha

HÀ NỘI — The 2020 Việt Nam-US defence policy dialogue was held online on Tuesday under the chair of Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Defence Sen. Lieut. Gen. Hoàng Xuân Chiến and US Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs (IPSA) David F. Helvey.

The two sides affirmed that bilateral defence cooperation in the recent past has flourished in line with the Memorandum of Understanding on Advancing Bilateral Defence Cooperation in 2011 and the Joint Vision Statement on Defence Relations in 2015, contributing to the Việt Nam-US comprehensive partnership.

In his remarks, Chiến spoke highly of efforts and outcomes achieved by the two countries in surmounting the consequences of war, particularly in the implementation of a project to clean up dioxin at Biên Hoà airbase (Đồng Nai Province) – used by the US military and the South Việt Nam forces during the war, and another project to support people with disabilities from Agent Orange/dioxin, overcome the aftermath of bombs, and search for the remains of missing soldiers.

They have efficiently worked together in helping Việt Nam carry out UN peacekeeping operations and in raising the capacity of Việt Nam’s Coast Guard, he added.

For his part, Helvey affirmed that the US treasured the comprehensive partnership with Việt Nam and hopes that the country would continue to thrive and play an increasingly important role in the region.

The US would continue teaming up with Việt Nam in promoting bilateral defence cooperation in existing fields, including maritime security, UN peacekeeping operations, humanitarian assistance, and disaster relief. It would continue paying heed to overcoming the aftermath of war, as it serves as a foundation for the countries’ defence ties, the official noted.

He also expressed his gratitude towards Việt Nam for helping the US search for missing soldiers, and pledged to further bolster mutual projects and cooperation activities in this regard. — VNS