MOSCOW. July 6 (Interfax) - Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has called for Russian-Vietnamese interdepartmental contacts to be strengthened and for new opportunities for cooperation to be found.
"We are certain about the need to step up in-person contacts between agencies, so that we can strengthen our relations and find new, promising areas of cooperation. We devote great attention to joint work in multilateral formats, first and foremost the ADMM-Plus. We are interested in developing and strengthening such contacts," Shoigu said at a working meeting with Vietnamese Deputy Defense Minister Hoang Xuan Chien.
Vietnam is a reliable, key partner of Russia in the Asia Pacific region, Shoigu said. Intensifying Russian-Vietnamese cooperation serves the fundamental interests of both countries, and Russia remains open to "a frank dialogue on any mutually advantageous topics and matters," he said.
Shoigu thanked Hoang for the invitation to meet and discuss the status and prospects for bilateral cooperation in military and other fields. He also thanked him for personally attending the Russia Day reception at the Russian embassy in Hanoi on June 9.
In turn, Hoang described the interaction between the two defense ministries as an illustrative example of bilateral cooperation dating back over 70 years.
"No matter what difficulties Russia has to deal with, Vietnam invariably stands by it. We always seek to upgrade and develop our cooperation, our interaction in every military and military-technical area," he said.
A strategic dialogue involving head of the Russian Defense Ministry's Main Directorate for International Military Cooperation Lieut. Gen. Alexander Kshimovsky took place earlier on Thursday to address pressing matters in Russia and Vietnam's multifaceted cooperation, including military and military-technical contacts.
The sides reiterated their mutual "interest in intensifying the exchange of military delegations from branches of the Armed Forces" and stated "the progressive increase in education-related contacts."
The strategic dialogue resulted in the signing of a memorandum on cooperation between the Kirov Military Medical Academy and the Military Medical Academy of the Vietnamese Defense Ministry.