Viet Nam and Canada have explored areas of defence co-operation that play to both of their strengths, such as the exchange of all-level delegations, United Nations peacekeeping missions and humanitarian issues.
Viet Nam and Canada have explored areas of defence co-operation that play to both of their strengths, such as the exchange of all-level delegations, United Nations peacekeeping missions and humanitarian issues.
During talks between Deputy Defence Minister, Sen. Lieut. Gen Nguyen Chi Vinh and his Canadian counterpart Michael Martin as part of the former's visit to Canada last week, both sides shared the view that maritime security and safety, especially sovereignty disputes on waters in the Asia-Pacific, posed a potential threat to world peace and stability.
They said that the sovereignty disputes must be settled by peaceful means in line with international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and other ASEAN declarations on the East Sea.
The Canadian side spoke highly of the ASEAN's role in promoting multilateral security cooperation mechanisms in the region, especially those on defence between ASEAN and its partners like the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting Plus (ADMM+).
Canada hopes for Viet Nam's support so that the country can join the ADMM+, Martin said.
Vinh conveyed Defence Minister Gen. Phung Quang Thanh's invitation to Canadian Minister of National Defence Robert Nicholson to visit Viet Nam in the coming time.
During the visit, the first by a high-ranking delegation from the Defence Ministry of Canada, Vietnamese officials also paid a courtesy call to Chief of the Canadian Defence Staff, Gen. Thomas Lawson and visited the Peace Support Training Centre and several army units.
The visit was made as one of several activities celebrating the 40th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral diplomatic relations.
(Source:VNS)
