Hanoi (VNA) –Minister of National Defence Gen. Ngo Xuan Lich on August 5 met with VicePresident of the European Commission and High Representative of the European Unionfor Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini.

The officials exchangedviews on the development of the Vietnam-EU cooperative partnership in nationaldefence and security on the basis of international law and common commitments.

During their meeting inHanoi, they agreed to push ahead with cooperation mechanisms and frameworks,thus contributing to global peace as well as regional peace and development,and the realisation of Vietnam’s international integration strategy and theEU’s global strategy.

They affirmed commoncommitments to stepping up efforts to promote peace and jurisdiction throughmultilateral approaches and cooperation, covering national defence andsecurity.

The cooperativepartnership in national defence and security will promote and protect basicprinciples and rights in accordance with the UN Charter and UniversalDeclaration of Human Rights, helping to maintain the international system onthe basis of principles suitable with the international humanitarian law towhich Vietnam and the EU have joined and carry forward multilateralisationeffectively, they said.

The two sides pledgedto join hands to reach concrete outcomes in settling common security challengesand those in Asia and other areas.

Accordingly, they will fullyimplement resolutions adopted by the UN Security Council and the Women, Peaceand Security Agenda.

In the sphere of crisismanagement, the officials lauded the conclusion of negotiations of the Framework Participation Agreement(FPA) to establish Vietnam’s participation framework in the EU’s crisismanagement activities.

Besides, Vietnam and the EU will beef up collaboration in UN peacekeepingoperations, covering capacity building and training through training courses.
They consented tointensify their engagement in protecting freedom of navigation and aviation,and coping with traditional and non-traditional challenges through search andrescue operations and fighting piracy, armed crimes, organised crimes andsmugglers in line with international law, including the 1982 United NationsConvention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

The officials sharedthe views that cooperation in cyber security will promote a global safe,stable, free-of-charge, open cyber space, and exchanged experience in cybersecurity.

Vietnam and the EU willcooperate in national defence and security in a bid to increase mutualunderstanding, and support the ASEAN-led regional security architecture andother multilateral security cooperation forms in Asia.

The Vietnamese Ministryof National Defence backed the EU’s wish to participate in Asia-Pacific defenceand security architectures.

The EU side hoped thatVietnam will make more contributions to peace, stability and development in theregion when it assumes the post of the ASEAN Chair in 2020.

Within the EU-Vietnam Framework Agreement on Comprehensive Partnership andCooperation, the two sides will set up regular consultations on nationaldefence and security to ensure the effective implementation of the cooperativepartnership in this field.-VNA