Hanoi (VNA) - Defence diplomacy is not onlyan external task of the Ministry of National Defence or the army but also associatedwith national independence, sovereignty, and interests of Vietnam, as well as securityand peace in the region and the world.

Overcoming a range of difficulties and hurdles in 2020,defence diplomacy and cooperation have posted many breakthroughs, indicating thehigh trust of Vietnam in international relations while affirming its role as oneof the pillars in the foreign affairs of the Party and the State.

In an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency (VNA)on the occasion of the 76th founding anniversary of the Vietnam People’sArmy (VPA) on December 22, Sen. Lieut. Gen. Nguyen Chi Vinh, member of the PartyCentral Committee, member of the Central Military Commission’s Standing Board, andDeputy Minister of National Defence highlighted the role of defence diplomacy.

Though Vietnam has basically brought the COVID-19 pandemicunder control, there remain huge tasks ahead, he said.

For the army, those tasks lie in disinfecting and protectingthe national border, preventing illegal immigration, facilitating the quarantiningof hundreds of thousands of people, and conducting activities regarding militarymedicine.

National defence should not be overshadowed by the pandemic,he stressed, adding that the first task is to safeguard national territorial sovereigntyand peace.


“We have firmly protected the country’s sovereignty atborders and in the air and sea for national peace, focused on fighting the pandemic,and maintained economic growth,” Vinh said.

Defence diplomacy forms part of the State’s diplomacy,he said, with defence diplomacy characterised by trust building.

The army is a special force in peacetime as it safeguardspeace and friendship between countries through cooperation and commitments tonot use force in international relations.

Therefore, not only Vietnam but also other countries havepaid due attention to defence diplomacy over the past years.

Vinh cited Party documents as saying that national defencemust be conducted early and from distance, specifically through peaceful measuresduring peacetime.

National defence means protecting the national territorialsovereignty, interests, regime, and people, as well as peace. Therefore, Vinh said,the army has an active role to play in external affairs.

In foreign affairs, the top priority should be givento relations with neighbouring countries such as Laos, Cambodia, and China, in orderto maintain good ties, especially borders of stability and peace.

According to the officer, Vietnam has set up defence tieswith more than 80 countries worldwide.

Multilaterally, defence cooperation has made outstandingprogress over the past years, most notably Vietnam’s defence and military activitiesin the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Apart from the 10-member bloc, the country has been anofficial partner of the European Union (EU) in defence cooperation since 2019.

Moreover, it has stepped up its activities in the UN, Vinhsaid, noting the country’s deployment of peacekeeping forces in Africa.

The first two female Vietnamese staff officers were recruitedby a UN strategic agency in New York this year, and this was also the first timeVietnamese state officials have passed exams to work in the UN agency.

This demonstrates the UN’s positive evaluation of Vietnamwhile facilitating the country’s implementation of activities, Vinh said.

The rate of female Vietnamese officers joining UN peacekeepingoperations now stands at 17 percent, the highest among countries worldwide.

A Vietnamese Lieut. Colonel was honoured with a certificateof merit from the UN Secretary-General for her contributions to fighting the COVID-19pandemic in the UN peacekeeping mission.

The UN appreciated her ideas, sense of responsibility,and capacity to inspire the community, Vinh added.


All defence diplomacy activities preparedby Vietnam this year have been completed well in terms of content, Vinh said.

Most recently, Vietnam hosted the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM+), with the participation of representativesfrom ASEAN member countries, its eight partner countries, and five guest nationsThe meeting approved the Joint Declaration on the StrategicSecurity Vision of the ADMM+.

This was the first timeafter seven years that the ADMM+ issued a joint statement with content related tothe East Sea issue, and the commitment to not use force, to comply with internationallaw, not to complicate the situation, and to respect each other’s political institutions,Vinh stressed.

This is a favourablecondition and affirms Vietnam’s role, geopolitical position and effort over thepast years, contributing to encouraging major countries to accept the agreement.

Notably, the UN hashighly valued Vietnam’s peacekeeping operations, especially the deployment of the second level-2 field hospital to South Sudan and thearrangement of officers and soldiers at missions in the Central African Republicand South Sudan.

Vietnameseofficers and soldiers at the second level-2 field hospital in South Sudan must work to makesure they are not infected with coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, he said, while maintainingmedical check-ups and treatment for suspected cases.


Vietnam needs to continueattaching importance to bilateral relations, especially with neighbouringnations such as Laos, Cambodia, and China, traditional friends such as Russia andCuba, and developed countries, including Japan and the Republic of Korea, the officersaid.

Such relations haveeffectively contributed to Vietnam’s economic development, he affirmed, addingthat defence cooperation should also be strengthened in order to improve trust andpromote national socio-economic development on the basis of international cooperation.

Another area where defenceforeign affairs must also pay more attention is overcoming the consequences ofwar, Vinh said, noting that this is a task for society as a whole and the entirepolitical system, run by the Government but with the Ministry of Defence responsiblefor implementation.

He underlined the importance of enhancing internationalcooperation in overcoming the consequences of war, saying that this is needed tomobilise financial funding and technological and communications assistance./.