Hanoi (VNA) – State President Luong Cuong received Belarusian Minister of Defence Khrenin Viktor Gennadievich in Hanoi on December 17 as the latter is in Vietnam for an official visit and attendance at the Vietnam Int'l Defence Expo 2024.

Welcoming the Belarusian delegation led by the minister, President Cuong affirmed that the Party, State, Army, and people of Vietnam value the traditional friendship between Vietnam and Belarus, which has been nurtured by the leaders and people of both countries over many generations. He also expressed deep appreciation for the sincere and effective assistance that the Soviet Union, including Belarus, provided to Vietnam during its past struggle for national independence and reunification.

Cuong expressed his pleasure at seeing the Vietnam-Belarus traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation continue to grow. Their political and diplomatic relations continue to be promoted, creating a strong foundation for cooperation in other areas such as defence, security, economy, trade, investment, education, science and technology, culture, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges.

For his part, the Belarusian minister affirmed that cooperation between the two countries across all fields is flourishing on the basis of mutual respect, despite geographical distance. Both sides share common stance on many international and regional issues, as well as the approach for a multipolar world that serves the interests of their peoples.

The Belarusian minister praised Vietnam's socioeconomic development achievements in recent years, which have improved the living standards of its people and enhanced Vietnam's stature internationally. He emphasised that Belarus considers Vietnam a priority in its foreign policy in the Asia-Pacific region and hopes to continue strengthening and elevating bilateral relations.

Informing the Vietnamese President on the results of his talks with Defence Minister Phan Van Giang, Minister Khrenin confirmed that defence cooperation between the two countries has seen positive developments, enhancing the professionalism and combat readiness of both militaries, contributing to the overall friendship cooperative relationship. He expressed hope that this visit will create momentum and open a new phase of cooperation in defence.

Appreciating the outcomes of the talks between the two defence ministers, President Cuong urged both sides to further promote and deepen bilateral defence cooperation through delegation exchanges at all levels, maintain the effective operation of existing mechanisms and to enhance collaboration in training, military medicine, and military history.

ꩵ On this occasion, Minister Khrenin extended an invitation from President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko to the Vietnamese President to visit Belarus at a suitable time. Cuong accepted the invitation with pleasure./.