Vietnamese Defense Minister General Phan Van Giang (left) and visiting US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin (Photo: Vinh Phong / VOV)

During their talks after an official welcome ceremony for the US guests in Hanoi on Thursday, both shared the view of boosting cooperation in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding on Promoting Defense Cooperation signed in 2011 and the Joint Vision Statement on Defense Relations signed in 2015, with priority given to training, the settlement of war consequences, the improvement of law enforcement at sea, and military medicine collaboration in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

The US Secretary of Defense agreed to step up implementation of the dioxin decontamination project at Bien Hoa airport and other humanitarian projects in Vietnam.

The two officials exchanged views on global and regional issues of mutual concern, particularly traditional and non-traditional security challenges affecting the region. They affirmed ASEAN’s central role in maintaining peace and stability through the framework of the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM+).

They agreed on the importance of respecting the legitimate rights and interests of coastal states, peacefully resolving disputes, and maintaining peace, stability, safety, order, and freedom of aviation and navigation in accordance with international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS 1982).

The two ministers then witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in searching, gathering, and identifying the remains of Vietnamese martyrs.