Israel supports stronger defence ties with Vietnam

• Vietnamese, Lao PMs first co-chair Intergovernmental Committee's meeting
• Vietnam, China beef up defence ties
• Vietnam treasures defence ties with Thailand

Reuven Rivlin told Vinh said the Vietnamese delegation’s visit to Israel signifies the growing cooperation, including in defence, between the two countries, adding that the outcomes of bilateral cooperation have helped strengthen mutual trust and met the two people’s interests for the sake of peace, stability and development in their respective regions and the world.

Deputy Defence Minister Nguyen Chi Vinh meeting Israeli President Reuven Rivlin.

Vinh emphasized Vietnam’s unwavering foreign policy of being a friend and a trustworthy partner in the international community. In the policy of multilateralising and diversifying foreign relations, Vietnam attaches importance to bolstering the friendship and cooperation with Middle Eastern nations, including Israel. 

He also informed the host President about the outcomes of defence links, thanking Israeli leaders in general and Rivlin in particular for advocating and providing favourable conditions for the two defence ministries’ fruitful cooperation.

He hoped for the President’s continued support and assistance to the ministries in building up a reliable and practical partnership which can be on a par with the countries’ flourishing ties.

During their meeting earlier the same day, Deputy Minister Vinh and Director General of the Israeli Defence Ministry Udi Adam compared notes on international and regional issues of shared concern while expressing their delight at the expansion of bilateral friendship and cooperation in various spheres, including defence.

On the basis of the sound relationship, Vietnam wants both sides to discuss measures for enhancing defence connections in a synchronous and comprehensive manner, in conformity with the memorandum of understanding on bilateral denfece relations inked in 2015, and in line with the Vietnamese Government’s policy of developing relations between Vietnam and Middle Eastern-African nations between 2016 and 2025, Vinh said.

For his part, Director General Udi Adam deemed the Vietnamese officials’ visit important to defence cooperation activities in 2017. He hailed the Southeast Asian nation’s role and stature in the region, adding that Israel wants to join Vietnam in building a trustworthy, effective and sustainable cooperative partnership.

Both sides shared the view that increasingly effective defence cooperation will help deepen the two countries’ relations, thereby meeting their peoples’ interests and actively contributing to joint efforts towards peace, stability, cooperation and development.

They signed the minutes of the Vietnamese delegation’s visit and another on building a consultation mechanism for the two ministries’ working groups.

During the visit, Vietnamese officials had meetings with Israel’s Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman and Acting National Security Advisor Jacob Nagel.