Vietnam, Italy hold 5th defence policy dialogue

Vietnamese Deputy Minister of National Defence, Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien, and Italian Undersecretary of State for Defence, Matteo Perego di Cremnago, co-chaired the 5th Vietnam–Italy Defence Policy Dialogue in Hanoi on July 2, as reported by VNA.

During the meeting, Chien reaffirmed Vietnam's commitment to a foreign policy based on independence, self-reliance, peace, friendship, cooperation, development, and the diversification of external relations. He also reiterated Vietnam’s adherence to its "four no's" defence policy: no military alliances, no alignment against other countries, no foreign military bases or use of Vietnamese territory against others, and no use or threat of force in international affairs.

Regarding the East Sea issue, Chien emphasised that Vietnam remains committed to resolving disputes peacefully in accordance with international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and in line with regional agreements such as the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC). He also stressed support for an early conclusion of a practical and effective Code of Conduct (COC) in the region.

Chien said Vietnam's Ministry of National Defence is ready to welcome Italian military personnel for the International Defence Officials Course at the National Defence Academy and Vietnamese language studies at the Military Science Academy. He proposed enhancing cooperation through potential defence agreements, delegation exchanges at all levels, and stronger ties in training, defence industry collaboration, and United Nations peacekeeping efforts.

He further called for deepening mechanisms for dialogue and consultation to foster trust and mutual understanding, and for ongoing coordination in multilateral forums, particularly the UN, ASEAN, and the EU. Chien also expressed hope that Italy would support the removal of the EU's "yellow card" on Vietnamese seafood exports and assist in strengthening Vietnam-EU defence cooperation under the Framework Participation Agreement (FPA).

For his part, Matteo Cremnago highlighted the shared global outlook between Vietnam and Italy, their commitment to international peacekeeping, and mutual interest in advancing defence technologies. He underlined Italy's desire to deepen defence ties with Vietnam and noted Italy's expertise in bomb and mine clearance — an area in which it is ready to cooperate.

At the conclusion of the dialogue, both sides signed official minutes and a letter of intent to create a working group focused on bilateral cooperation in defence equipment.

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