Vietnam favors stronger defense ties with Russia - minister

HANOI, November 21. /TASS/. Vietnam is committed to stepping up defense and security cooperation with Russia, Vietnamese Defense Minister Ngo Xuan Lich said at a meeting with Vladimir Drozhzhov, Deputy Director of the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, who is paying a working visit to the country. The minister spoke highly of the outcome of the 21st meeting of the Russian-Vietnamese Intergovernmental Commission on Military-Technical Cooperation held in Hanoi. He was confident that the agreements reached at the meeting would "help strengthen and cultivate defense ties and military-technical cooperation in accordance with the relations of a comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries." During the committee’s session, its co-chairs Vladimir Drozhzhov and Vietnam’s Deputy Defense Minister Be Xuan Truong pointed to significant results achieved by the two countries in the defense and security spheres. While stressing that military and military-technical cooperation remains on the pillars of comprehensive strategic partnership between Vietnam and Russia, they called for strengthening bilateral defense and security ties. Read more