Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, the Hon Richard Marles MP, joined Vietnam's Minister of National Defence, General Phan Van Giang, for the inaugural High Level Meeting of Defence Ministers in Hanoi today.
“Australia values its strong and growing partnership with Vietnam. I was pleased to meet Vietnam’s leaders today and see first-hand our cooperation on peacekeeping and English language training,” Deputy Prime Minister Marles said.
“Australia and Vietnam share a strong stake in the future of the Indo-Pacific, founded on international law with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) at its core.
“We are committed to an open, inclusive, and resilient region, where all countries can exercise their sovereignty free from coercion.”
At the milestone meeting, the Australian Deputy Prime Minister and General Giang reaffirmed their commitment to the defence partnership, reviewed long-standing cooperation in areas such as education, training, and peacekeeping, and agreed to expand the partnership further.
During the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Marles and General Giang committed to upgrade cooperation on peacekeeping to a Peacekeeping Partnership. “Our cooperation on peacekeeping makes a valuable contribution to international security” Deputy Prime Minister Marles noted.
While in Hanoi, Deputy Prime Minister Marles also met Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh to discuss opportunities under the Australia-Vietnam Strategic Partnership.
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Media Note:
Photos are available via this link: http://images.defence.gov.au/S20223768
Media contact:
Colonel Paul Foura
Defence Attaché
Australian Embassy Vietnam
T: +84-24-3774-0258
