Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam will provide all meansfor the enhancement of the Vietnam–Canada defence cooperation, President TranDai Quang told visiting Canadian Defence Minister Harjit Singh Sajjan duringtheir meeting in Hanoi on June 5.

President Quang warmly welcomed the Canadian DefenceMinister, saying his visit to Vietnam takes place at a time when the twocountries are implementing agreements to foster the Comprehensive Partnership,which was set up in 2017, and celebrating the 45th anniversary of theirdiplomatic ties (August 21, 1973).

Vietnam is keen on developing the ComprehensivePartnership with Canada, he reiterated, adding that the two nations havemaintained a good relations and together made efforts to promote common goalsand economic growth and increase trade exchange. The president also cited thefact that Vietnam is now Canada’s biggest trade partner in ASEAN while Canadais among Vietnam’s large investors.

The Canadian Defence Minister, for his part, informedhis host on outcomes of the talks with his Vietnamese counterpart Ngo Xuan Lichduring which the two sides agreed to step up partnership in areas of mutualinterest, including defence industry, personnel training, UN peacekeepingmissions, marine security and military medicine. The ministers also witnessedthe signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on the Military Training andCooperation Programme of Canada, allowing Vietnamese officers to take part indiverse training courses in Canada.

Sajjan spoke highly of the Vietnamese community inCanada, saying some 14,000 Vietnamese students who are studying in Canada wouldplay a significant part in consolidating and developing the two countries’relations.

Furthermore, he emphasised that as an Asian-Pacificnation who looks to promote cooperation to maintain the regional stability,Canada supports the rule of law and observance of international law in thesettlement of territorial disputes, particularly in the East Sea.

President Tran Dai Quang highly valued the outcomes ofthe talks between the two ministers. He asked the two defence ministries toclosely work together to effectively implement the agreements in a bid to makethe defence ties a pillar of the two nations’ relationship.

The Vietnamese top leaders also appreciated Canada’sstance in the East Sea issues and thanked the Government and people of Canadafor facilitating Vietnamese citizens, including 14,000 students, to live andstudy there, saying they are bridges for strengthening the bilateral ties.

Canadian Defence Minister Harjit Singh Sajjan is paying an officialvisit to Vietnam from June 4 to 6 at the invitation of Minister of NationalDefence Ngo Xuan Lich.-VNA