Hanoi (VNA)𓃲 – President of Mongolia Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh hosted a reception in Ulaanbaatar on October 26 for Minister of National DefenceGen. Phan Van Giang and a high-ranking delegation of Vietnam who have been on an official visit to the country.

Khurelsukh stressed that Vietnam has a special position in Mongolia’sforeign policy and wished that in the near future, bilateral ties would reach a new height forthe benefit of the people of both countries and contributing to the maintenance ofpeace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world. Giangaffirmed that Vietnam always highly evaluates its traditional friendship with Mongolia andbelieved that the upcoming Vietnam visit in early November by the MongolianPresident will be a success, especially at a time when the two countries will celebrate the 70th founding anniversary of diplomatic ties next year. Healso informed the host about the outcomes of his talks with Mongolian Ministerof Defence Gursediin Saikhanbayar andcooperation between the two armies over the past years. For his part, the President committed all possible support to deepen collaborationbetween the two defence ministries in a way that matches bilateral cooperationframework. At the talks between the two defence ministers in the morning of the same day, both sides agreed tocontinue their efforts to effectively promote practical cooperation in variousfields, such as facilitating the exchange of delegations at all levels, defenceindustry, training, military medicine, culture, arts, military sports, andsharing experience in United Nations peacekeeping operations. Saikhanbayar stressed that Mongoliaalways treasures the development of its relationship with Vietnam and considersVietnam a bridge to foster its relations with countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and a keypartner of Mongolia in the region. Meanwhile, Giang affirmed that Vietnam consistently pursues a national defence policy of "four nos" and foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralisation and diversification of international relations and giving the highest priority to developing friendship and cooperation ties with traditional friend nations, including Mongolia. Onglobal and regional issues of shared concern, the host and guest underscored the importance ofmaintaining an environment of peace, stability, cooperation and development inthe East Sea, which is significant to not only coastal countries but also landlocked nations. Followingthe talks, the two ministers witnessed the signing of a cooperation agreement on the exchangeof delegations between the two defence ministries. On October 26 afternoon, Giang and his entourage visited the National Defence University in Ulaanbaatar. Founded in 1921, it is the country's premier and oldest military educational institution./.