The 14th Vietnam-Singapore defense policy dialogue was held in Hanoi on Thursday afternoon under the co-chairmanship of Vietnamese Deputy Defense Minister Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien and Singaporean Permanent Secretary for Defense Chan Heng Kee.

Addressing the event, Chien affirmed that 2023 is a special year, owing to the fact that the two nations celebrate the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic ties and 10 years of a strategic partnership that has led to great strides in defense cooperation.

Chan also agreed that the year marks a significant milestone in the Vietnam-Singapore relationship and remarked that bilateral defense cooperation has greatly contributed to tightening their strategic partnership.

Both sides at the dialogue also discussed international and regional situations and issues of mutual concern.

They highly valued the role of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and ASEAN-led mechanisms.

Chien stressed that Vietnam remains consistent in its foreign policy of independence, resilience, peace, friendship, multilateralization, and diversification, in addition to its 'four nos' defense policy.

The 'four nos' defense policy means no military alliances, no siding with one country to act against another, no foreign military bases in Vietnamese territory or using the country’s territory to oppose other countries, and no use or threat of force in international relations.

As for the East Vietnam Sea issue, Vietnam affirmed its consistent stance on persistently resolving disputes by peaceful means and on the basis of international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), Chien said.

Both sides agreed to continue bolstering bilateral defense cooperation in the years to come.

They will focus on facilitating all-level mutual visits in order to share viewpoints on issues of mutual concern.

The two sides will also beef up cooperation in human resources training and other potential sectors such as cybersecurity, digital transformation, military medicine, defense industry, and legal affairs.

Moreover, both sides will continue to consult and support each other at multilateral forums and mechanisms led by ASEAN, in order to make significant contributions to the consolidation of ASEAN’s centrality.

Wrapping up the dialogue, Chien and Chan witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief between the Office of the National Committee for Incident and Disaster Response, Search and Rescue of Vietnam and the Regional Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Coordination Center of Singapore.

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