Vietnamese delegation active at 20th Shangri-La Dialogue

Singapore (VNA) – The Vietnamese delegation to the 20th Shangri-La Dialogue, led by Deputy Minister of Defence Sen. Lieut. Gen. Hoang Xuan Chien, attended plenary sessions, the official banquet and bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the event, which took place in Singapore from June 2-4.

At the meeting between Chien and General Robert Brieger, Chairman of the EU Military Committee, the two sides shared delight at the bilateral defence cooperation over the years on the foundation of the EU-Vietnam Comprehensive Partnership and Cooperation Framework Agreement (PCA) and the EU-Vietnam Framework Participation Agreement (FPA).

Brieger thanked Vietnam for sending two officers to work as lecturers at the EU training mission in the Central African Republic, and affirmed that the EU will continue to send their officers to support the Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations.

Chien highly valued the outcomes of the bilateral cooperation in training, and proposed the EU side to continue to further promote cooperation in overcoming the war consequences in Vietnam.

At a meeting with Cipolla Christine, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Regional Director for Asia-Pacific, Chien spoke highly of the fruitful cooperation between Vietnam and the ICRC in training, UN peacekeeping, and war aftermath settlement.

He affirmed that the Government as well as ministries, sectors and agencies of Vietnam always pay great attention to humanitarian cooperation, and thanked the ICRC for its support and cooperation in dealing with consequences of dioxin, bombs and mines, and explosives left over from the war in Vietnam.

Christine lauded the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence's efforts to popularise the International Humanitarian Law and the Law of Armed Conflict. She congratulated Vietnam for the country's success in UN peacekeeping activities.

During his stay in Singapore, Chien also had a meeting with James Crabtree, Executive Director of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Asia, who thanked Vietnam for attending the 20th Shangri-La dialogue .

Chien congratulated the IISS and the Ministry of Defence of Singapore for successfully organising the 20th Shangri-La dialogue. He affirmed that the Vietnamese Ministry of Defence highly values the event, and will continue to attend the dialogue and meetings within the dialogue's framework in the future.

The IISS Shangri-La Dialogue is Asia’s premier defence summit where ministers debate the region's most pressing security challenges, engage in important bilateral talks, and come up with fresh approaches together./.

VNA