14th India-Vietnam Defence Policy Dialogue Strengthens Bilateral Cooperation

New Delhi: The 14th India-Vietnam Defence Policy Dialogue was held in New Delhi, co-chaired by Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane and Vietnam’s Deputy Minister of National Defence, Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien. The dialogue underscored the significant progress in bilateral defence cooperation since the signing of the ‘Joint Vision Statement on India-Vietnam Defence Partnership towards 2030’ in June 2022.

During the meeting, both sides reviewed a broad range of bilateral defence issues and discussed the transformative advancements in their defence ties. Vietnam proposed five key areas for cooperation: delegation exchanges and dialogue, staff-talks, Service-to-Service cooperation, education and training, and Defence Industry cooperation. The Defence Secretary welcomed these proposals and suggested additional cooperation in emerging areas such as Cyber Security, Information Security, Military Medicine, and Submarine Search & Rescue.

The Defence Secretary emphasized the potential of India’s domestic defence industry to support the capacity and capability enhancement of friendly foreign countries. He expressed optimism for a fruitful partnership with the Vietnam People’s Armed Forces and their defence industries.

Following the meeting, the Defence Secretary and the Deputy Minister of National Defence of Vietnam signed a Letter of Intent to strengthen cooperation in training, including the exchange of instructors and experts.