Thursday, 26 February 2009

Stronger national defence fosters regional co-operation

26-02-2009

BANGKOK — A strengthening of national defence and security co-operation between Viet Nam and its neighbours will boost ties in the economy, trade, investment and tourism, said a senior military officer.

Viet Nam’s Minister of Defence, General Phung Quang Thanh, made this statement during a meeting with Vietnamese reporters in Bangkok prior to the third ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting in Pattaya, Thailand, from February 25-27.

Thanh said that his ministry and other relevant Vietnamese agencies had spared no effort to transform Viet Nam’s land and sea borders into peaceful areas and had provided Laos and Cambodia with assistance in personnel training to further this goal.

Viet Nam and Thailand had already completed the demarcation of their sea borders and had so far conducted 18 joint sea patrols, thus maintaining security in the region’s waters and facilitating the operations of fishermen from both countries, the minister said.

He added that, although Viet Nam and Thailand had yet to sign a protocol, the two nations would discuss a memorandum of understanding on defence co-operation and perform an exchange of visits and military personnel.

Thailand has sent a number of military students to Viet Nam to learn Vietnamese, and in return, a number of Vietnamese military trainees were given the opportunity to study the Thai language to increase the efficiency of their joint sea patrols.

"In the near future, Viet Nam plans to conduct joint patrols with other member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)", Thanh said.

Thanh said that Viet Nam planned to table a motion for a discussion of fishermen’s violations on contiguous territorial waters at the third ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting. — VNS

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