Tokyo (VNA) - The Vietnamese Embassy in Japan held a ceremony to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Vietnam People's Army (December 22, 1944-2024) and 35 years of the All-People Defence Festival.

The event drew many Japanese officials, including Defence Minister Nakatani Gen, along with ambassadors and defence attachés from various nations; as well as representatives of the Vietnamese community in Japan.

Addressing the event, Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Pham Quang Hieu highlighted the heroic 80-year history of the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) and the military’s proud legacy, rooted in Vietnam's millennia-old tradition of nation-building and defence, as well as significant contributions by the VPA to peace and stability in the region and the world.

The ambassador underlined successes in Vietnam’s international integration and defence diplomacy, which have not only achieved substantial breakthroughs but also created favourable international conditions for national development and security. Vietnam has established defence ties with over 100 countries and has been participating in United Nations peacekeeping missions since 2014, he noted.

Regarding defence ties with Japan, Ambassador Hieu described the bilateral defence relationship as a cornerstone of the broader Vietnam-Japan partnership, becoming a bright spot in bilateral relations.

Along with maintaining regular visits and delegation exchanges, including the visit by Japan’s Defence Minister to Vietnam in August, the two sides have maintained cooperation mechanisms such as the Deputy Ministerial-level Defence Policy Dialogue. Both sides have signed numerous defence cooperation agreements and strengthened ties in areas such as post-war recovery efforts, training, military medicine, search and rescue operations, and UN peacekeeping missions. The two sides have also coordinated closely within the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM +), noted the diplomat.

He said that upgrading bilateral relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership has provided fresh momentum for multifaceted cooperation, including defence. He expressed his confidence that Vietnam-Japan defence collaboration will continue to flourish, contributing to peace and prosperity in the region and beyond.

Meanwhile, Colonel Nguyen Thai Son, Vietnam’s Defence Attaché in Japan, underlined the VPA's evolution over 80 years as a revolutionary force born from the people and for the people, steadfast in its loyalty to the Party, the State, and the people. He affirmed defence diplomacy as a pillar of Vietnam’s broader foreign policy, enhancing trust, fostering international friendships, and elevating Vietnam's global stature.

Underscoring that defence cooperation is an important pillar and a motivation of the Vietnam-Japan ties, Son referred to the 2018 Joint Vision Statement on Defence Cooperation, which serves as a legal framework for expanding and deepening collaboration. This foundation has enabled regular delegation exchanges, effective annual Defence Policy Dialogues, and robust multilateral cooperation, especially within the ADMM +.

He said that at the talks between the Defence Ministers of Vietnam and Japan in Hanoi in August, the two sides agreed to continue to effectively maintain bilateral defence cooperation mechanisms.

For his part, Japanese Defence Minister Nakatani Gen expressed his admiration for the VPA, and reviewed cooperation periods with the Ministry of National Defence of Vietnam.

ﷺ At the bilateral defence meeting in August, both sides agreed to further strengthen cooperation across multiple domains, underpinned by the trust built through direct dialogue, he said. He expressed his hope that this trust will continue to be further expanded./.