WNAM REPORT: The third Vietnam – South Africa Defence Policy Dialogue took place in Hanoi on February 25, co-chaired by Vietnam’s Deputy Minister of National Defence Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien and Acting Secretary for Defence of South Africa Thobekile Gamede.
During the dialogue, Chien underscored that the Vietnam-South Africa defence cooperation has continued to develop positively based on the agreement on defence ties signed in May 2006 and orientations agreed by defence leaders of the two countries, aligning with their capabilities and needs.
The bilateral partnership has yielded notable achievements across several domains, including regular high-level delegation exchanges and enhanced collaboration in the defence industry. Additional areas of cooperation include logistics, military medicine, UN peacekeeping operations, training, and mutual support at regional and international forums.
Looking ahead, the two sides agreed to effectively carry out key missions such as continuing the exchange of delegations at all levels, maintaining the deputy minister-level Defence Policy Dialogue mechanism, strengthening defence industry cooperation, and bolstering collaboration in logistics, military medicine, and training. They were unanimous to coordinate and support each other at regional and international forums.
South Africa committed to supporting Vietnam’s peacekeeping forces through experience sharing, training, and equipment provision.
Gamede, for her part, acknowledged the productive defence cooperation between the two countries, particularly in consultation, dialogue, delegation exchange, information sharing, defence industry, and UN peacekeeping operations.
Speaking highly of Vietnam’s contributions to solving regional and international issues, she expressed her hope that the Vietnam – South Africa defence cooperation will be thriving and develop in a more sunstantive and effective manner.
Touching on regional and international issues of mutual concerns, Chien laid stress on Vietnam’s foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, friendship, cooperation and development, and multilateralisation and diversification of external relations.
Vietnam stands ready to cooperate with countries and international organisations for peace, cooperation, and development in the region and the world while maintaining its Four Nos defence policy and advocating for the peaceful resolution of disputes based on international law.
On the East Sea issue, Vietnam’s consistent position is that all parties must adhere to international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), comply with the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), and expedite negotiations to conclude an effective and substantive Code of Conduct (COC), Chien stated.
