Vietnam, Russia foster defense cooperation (Photo: Duong Tri/VNA)

General Gerasimov said Russia values the strategic dialogues and agreements that have been reached and Russia will continue to offer scholarships to the Vietnamese Defense Ministry until 2020 and will continue its engagement in the regional security structure through attending the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus). Gerasimov said he supports regional cooperation mechanisms that abide by UN Conventions, are in line with international laws, and promote the central role of ASEAN and the bond between ASEAN and its dialogue partners to ensure security, peace and development.

Giang said the Vietnamese Party, State, and Government always attach great importance to improving ties with Russia. He said bilateral cooperation have seen significant breakthroughs in several sectors, thanks in part to the two defense ministries agreeing to hold 70 external activities, 12 of them within the framework of the Vietnam-Russia Year and Russia-Vietnam Year events in 2019 and 2020.