Saudi defense minister

Vice Admiral Nam wished Sen. Lt. Gen. Nguyen Van Duoc, Chairman of the Vietnam Veterans' Association (VVA) and former deputy defense minister, showed deep gratitude for the contributions of war veterans to the national construction and defense cause. Vice Admiral Nam hoped that the VVA will continue promoting solidarity and the good virtues of Uncle Ho’s soldiers, joining hands with the Party and the military to firmly protect the revolution’s achievements, building a cultured lifestyle in residential areas, and mobilizing people to implement COVID-19 prevention and control measures. Similarly, at the visit to Lt. Gen. Phan Thu’s family, Vice Admiral Nam wished the former defense leader good health and briefed him on the task performance of the whole-military over the first-half of this year. He hoped that General Thu will continue bringing into play revolutionary traditions and contributing more ideas to the Central Military Commission and the Ministry of National Defense in …

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UK Secretary of State for Defense Ben Wallace was welcomed during a ceremony in Hanoi on Thursday morning, as part of his official visit to Vietnam from July 21 to 23. This is the first-ever official visit to Vietnam of a UK defense minister. Secretary Wallace will focus on strengthening bilateral ties on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the two countries’ defense cooperation. During his meeting with Vietnamese Minister of National Defense Phan Van Giang in Hanoi, the UK official stressed that the UK-Vietnam bilateral relationship is developing strongly under their new agreement on strategic partnership, in which national defense and security are among the main focuses. The two officials discussed measures to boost bilateral defense relations, including cooperation in maritime security. They also conferred on global and regional situations, as well as issues of mutual concern, according to the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense. The UK agrees to Vietnam’s …

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Secretary of State for Defense Robert Ben Lobban Wallace leads a high-ranking U.K. defense delegation to pay an official visit to Vietnam from July 21-23 at the invitation of the Vietnamese Minister of National Defense General Phan Van Giang. After the reception, the two high-ranking defense delegations had talks. The two sides exchanged issues and happenings of mutual concern in the region and world. The U.K. side shared with Vietnam the views on its approaches to the East Sea (South China Sea) issue, underlining the importance of freedom of navigation and overflight in the waters. The U.K. side also stressed the need to respect international law, saying that all maritime disputes among parties should be settled by peaceful means on the basis of international law, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982. The two sides agreed that the bilateral relationship has been lifted to a higher level in all fields such as politics, economics, trade, culture and education …

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US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. — AFP/VNA Photo The visit, part of a Southeast Asian tour with stops in the Philippines and Singapore in addition to Vietnam starting this Friday, is the first one to the region by a top official of the Biden-Harris administration. “The visit to Vietnam by the US Secretary of Defense would contribute to the strengthening of friendship and trust between our two peoples and armies, implementing the agreement between the two countries’ high-level leaders, and furthering the framework of Vietnam-US comprehensive partnership,” Hang noted, while not affirming specifically whether the South China Sea issue (known in Vietnam as the East Sea) would be high on the visit’s agenda as speculated. Due to Covid-19 restrictions in place amid complicated outbreaks in the capital city of Hanoi, where the US official is expected to have talks with Vietnamese senior leaders, the events and meetings will only be open to Vietnamese and American press members, …

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The two sides should work to effectively realize cooperation agreements in national defense, contributing to the Vietnam - U.K. strategic partnership in conformity with each side's interests, and contributing to peace and stability in the region and the world, PM Chinh told U.K. Secretary of State for Defense Robert Ben Lobban Wallace in Hanoi on July 22. Speaking highly of the first visit to Vietnam by Wallace, PM Chinh said the trip vividly demonstrates both sides’ goodwill to promote the friendship and mutually-beneficial cooperation between the two defense ministries, militaries and people of the two countries, helping to deepen the bilateral strategic partnership. He lauded strong development steps of the Vietnam - U.K. relations in such spheres as politics, economy, national defense and security, and sustainable development. The PM called on the U.K. to effectively implement the U.K. - Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (UKVFTA), encourage its firms to invest in Vietnam and …

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US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. — AFP/VNA Photo HÀ NỘI — US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will make an official trip to Việt Nam on July 28-29 at the invitation of the Vietnamese Minister of National Defence Phan Văn Giang, spokesperson for the Vietnamese foreign ministry Lê Thị Thu Hằng announced on Thursday. The visit, part of a Southeast Asian tour with stops in the Philippines and Singapore in addition to Việt Nam starting this Friday, is the first one to the region by a top official of the Biden-Harris administration. “The visit to Việt Nam by the US Secretary of Defense would contribute to the strengthening of friendship and trust between our two peoples and armies, implementing the agreement between the two countries’ high-level leaders, and furthering the framework of Việt Nam-US comprehensive partnership,” Hằng noted, while not affirming specifically whether the South China Sea issue (known in Việt Nam as the East Sea) would be high on the visit’s agenda as …

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VAVA President Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Van Rinh received the MND’s delegation and thanked the MND for creating favorable conditions for the association to fulfill its missions. He also updated the delegation on the unit's recent accomplishments, including developing a plan to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Agent Orange disaster in Vietnam (August 10, 1961), presenting gifts and handing over gratitude houses to AO victims, and promoting information dissemination to fight for their justice. Since early this year, many activities have been canceled due to the complicated developments of the COVID-19 pandemic. The VAVA President hoped that the Central Military Commission (CMC) and the MND would continue to assist the organization in implementing a variety of meaningful and practical programs for the victims. Addressing the event, General Chien expressed his sincere gratitude to the great contributions and sacrifices of the forefathers for the cause of national …

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Environment and energy ministers from the Group of 20 rich nations made little progress on Thursday on how to reach climate goals, officials said, with a cluster of countries resisting firm commitments. Near the sumptuous royal palace in Naples where the meeting took place, thousands of flag-waving marchers protested against what they said was a lack of action on global warming. The G20 meeting discussed biodiversity and the natural environment on Thursday, while energy and climate change will be on Friday's agenda. Diplomats have struggled for days to find meaningful common ground on both topics. Italy, which holds the rotating G20 presidency this year, said a communique on the environment had finally been agreed to the "great joy" of all 20 countries after "weeks of negotiations and a two-day non-stop session". The 7-page document covered numerous subjects including food security, the sustainable use of water, marine litter, sustainable finance and how to better educate the …

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One of the important parts of the agenda of the 15th National Assembly (NA)’s first session is the election and approval of 50 people to head state agencies in the 2021-2026 term. NA’s General Secretary Bui Van Cuong said that most of the personnel introduced to these positions are re-elected. These include President and Vice President. The two current positions President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan were elected by the 14th NA last April. Regarding the cabinet, Head of the NA Standing Committee's Board for Deputy Affairs Nguyen Thi Thanh said 27 people will be elected, including one PM, four Deputy PMs, 18 Ministers and 4 heads of ministerial-level agencies. In the last personnel consolidation spell, the NA elected and approved 15 government members, including PM Pham Minh Chinh, Deputy PM Le Minh Khai and Le Van Thanh, and 12 Ministers. These include Minister of National Defence Phan Van Giang; Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien; …

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Measures are mapped out to boost Vietnam-South Korea's strategic partnership as the two countries are scheduled to celebrate the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations (1992-2022). Vietnam seeks South Korea's support in accessing Covid-19 vaccines via the COVAX Facility and transferring technology for vaccine production. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh during the phone talk. Photo: Nhat Bac Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh made the request in a phone talk with his South Korean counterpart Kim Boo Kyum on July 22, in which both leaders have agreed to continue providing vaccination for foreigners in each country, including citizens from Vietnam and South Korea. The two ministers also exchanged views on measures to strengthen Vietnam-South Korea's strategic partnership, especially as the two countries are scheduled to celebrate the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations (1992-2022). Both government leaders stressed the necessity to promote cooperation in all …

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