Kuala Lumpur (VNA) - Deputy Minister of Defence Sen. Lieut. Gen. Hoang Xuan Chien had meetings with Deputy Secretary-General of the Malaysian Ministry of Defence Mohd Yani Bin Daud and General Datuk Muhammad Hafizuddeai bin Jantan, Chief of the Malaysian Army, in Kuala Lumpur on May 26, within the framework of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s official visit to Malaysia.
Meeting the Deputy Secretary-General of the Malaysian Ministry of Defence, Chien, who is also member of the Party Central Committee and member of the Central Military Commission’s Standing Board, expressed his confidence that Malaysia will successfully fulfill its role as the ASEAN Chair in 2025.
He affirmed that the Vietnamese Ministry of Defence always supports and stands alongside the Malaysian Ministry of Defence.
Showing their delight at the positive development of Vietnam–Malaysia relations in recent times, particularly the upgrade of bilateral relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership during Party General Secretary To Lam’s state visit to Malaysia in November 2024, both sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in various fields, including defence and security.
Chien emphasised that bilateral defence cooperation has yielded positive results in recent times; and proposed both sides continue to promote more comprehensive and substantive military and defence collaboration.
He expressed his hope that the Malaysian Ministry of Defence will support efforts to accelerate the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the two governments on cooperation in law enforcement and search and rescue operations at sea.
The Vietnamese officer also called for the early signing of an agreement on establishing a joint maritime patrol mechanism and a communication channel between the two navies. Additionally, he suggested enhancing coordination in information exchange, law enforcement, assistance for distressed fishing vessels and fishermen, and ensuring humanitarian treatment of fishermen and fishing boats.
He further proposed the two sides continue supporting each other at multilateral forums and mechanisms; and back Malaysia and India in co-chairing the ADMM-Plus Experts’ Working Group on Counter-Terrorism. He also urged the Malaysian Ministry of Defence to consider the possibility of cooperating with and supporting Vietnam in overcoming war consequences.
Mohd Yani Bin Daud stated that Malaysia is making every effort to maintain and promote unity and effective cooperation within ASEAN, as well as between ASEAN and its partner countries. He expressed a desire for closer and more extensive cooperation with Vietnam to further advance bilateral defence relations, thereby making an important contribution to Malaysia's goals during its ASEAN Chairmanship in 2025.
During his meeting with General Datuk Muhammad Hafizuddeai bin Jantan, Chien said he hopes in the coming time, the two sides will continue to advance bilateral military and defence cooperation in a more comprehensive and substantive manner, with focus on enhancing all-level delegation exchanges, dialogue mechanisms, young officer exchanges, and expanding collaboration in potential areas such as the defence industry. He also emphasised the need for active coordination in consultation and mutual support at multilateral forums.
The Malaysian Army Chief showed his desire to see strengthened cooperation between the two countries and their armed forces. In light of the complex and multidimensional global challenges today, he stressed that nations must work together to promote cooperation. He also expressed his hope that Malaysia and Vietnam will share common perspectives to further enhance collaboration in addressing security challenges, especially non-traditional security threats./.
