Vietnam, New Zealand forge closer defence ties
(VOVWORLD) - The defense chiefs of Vietnam and New Zealand have pledged to promote regular exchange of visits at all levels, current dialogue mechanisms, and collaboration in foreign language training.
 Vietnamese Defense Minister Ngo Xuan Lich and his New Zealand counterpart Ron Mark (Photo: VNA) |
Vietnamese Defense Minister Ngo Xuan Lich and his New Zealand counterpart Ron Mark held talks in Wellington on Monday, following an official welcome ceremony with traditional Maori rituals.
The two ministers agreed to continue to share experience in naval and peacekeeping operations and coordination within the framework of the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus) and other multilateral forums.
Mr. Lich told his host that Vietnam will assume the rotating ASEAN Chair in 2020 and the Vietnamese Defense Ministry will host the ADMM-Plus and celebrations of the mechanism’s anniversary the same year. Vietnam looks forward to gaining support from New Zealand to assure the success of these events, he said.
The two ministers agreed that disputes in the East Sea must be settled via peaceful measures on the basis of international law, especially the 1982 United Nations on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).