Vietnam - Azerbaijan signed a Letter of Intent on military training cooperation

(Chinhphu.vn) - In recent times, Vietnam - Azerbaijan defense cooperation has been promoted by both sides, in line with State-level relations, and has been prominent in many fields.

General Phan Van Giang, Politburo member, Deputy Secretary of the Central Military Commission, Minister of National Defense and Senior Lieutenant General Zakir Hasanov, Minister of National Defense of Azerbaijan review the guard of honor.

On the afternoon of September 4, after a solemn welcoming ceremony at the headquarters of the Ministry of National Defense, General Phan Van Giang, Politburo member, Deputy Secretary of the Central Military Commission, Minister of National Defense, and Senior Lieutenant General Zakir Hasanov, Minister of Defense of Azerbaijan, held talks.

Azerbaijan's valuable assistance in Vietnam's resistance wars

At the talks, General Phan Van Giang respectfully thanked Senior Lieutenant General Zakir Hasanov and the high-ranking delegation of Azerbaijan for attending the 80th anniversary of the successful August Revolution and National Day of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and for their official visit to Vietnam.

General Phan Van Giang emphasized that Vietnam attaches importance to consolidating and strengthening the traditional friendship with the Republic of Azerbaijan, which was nurtured by President Ho Chi Minh and the late President Heydar Aliyev, as well as many generations of leaders and people of the two countries. In particular, during the State visit of General Secretary To Lam to Azerbaijan in May 2025, the two countries officially established a Strategic Partnership, contributing to creating a foundation for defense cooperation between Vietnam and Azerbaijan to develop more deeply and extensively.

The General said that the construction of a monument complex in gratitude to Soviet military experts (including Azerbaijani experts) by the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense at the Vietnam Military History Museum demonstrates the sentiments of the Party, State, army and people of Vietnam for Azerbaijan's valuable assistance in Vietnam's resistance wars, contributing to fostering the traditional friendship between the two countries and the two armies.

General Phan Van Giang affirmed that Vietnam consistently pursues a foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, friendship, cooperation and development, multilateralization and diversification of foreign relations, and persistently pursues the "four no's" defense policy. Vietnam's consistent viewpoint is to persistently fight to resolve all disputes and disagreements by peaceful means on the basis of international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS); international and regional commitments such as the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC); and supports the early signing of a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) in a practical, effective manner, in accordance with international law.

In recent times, defense cooperation has been promoted by both sides, in line with the State-level relationship, notably in areas such as: Delegation exchange, defense industry, humanitarian mine clearance, support and participation in international multilateral activities organized by each side. On the occasion of General Secretary To Lam's State visit in May 2025, the two sides signed a Memorandum of Understanding on defense cooperation, making an important contribution to promoting increasingly practical and effective bilateral defense cooperation.

Talks between General Phan Van Giang and Senior Lieutenant General Zakir Hasanov

Vietnam ready to welcome Azerbaijani military students

Regarding the direction of defense cooperation in the coming time, on the basis of the signed Memorandum of Understanding on defense cooperation, General Phan Van Giang suggested that the two sides study and coordinate to implement a number of contents: Increase delegation exchanges, promote training cooperation; create favorable conditions for defense enterprises of the two countries to contact and cooperate in the fields of defense industry, military trade, logistics - technology, support international multilateral activities organized by each side; at the same time, study to expand the areas of cooperation that both sides have needs and potential.

General Phan Van Giang suggested considering opening a Defense Attaché Office in each country to promote defense cooperation between the two countries. Vietnam is ready to welcome Azerbaijani military students to study Vietnamese at the Academy of Military Sciences and attend an international defense official course at the Vietnam National Defense Academy.

For his part, Senior Lieutenant General Zakir Hasanov sincerely thanked the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense for inviting the delegation to attend the ceremony and pay an official visit to Vietnam; and expressed his joy at witnessing the good relations between the two countries, especially after the visit of General Secretary To Lam, the relationship between the two countries was upgraded to a strategic partnership.

The Azerbaijani Minister of Defense emphasized that the potential for cooperation between the two countries is still very large, hoping that both sides will actively promote defense cooperation, thereby making substantial and effective contributions to the relationship between the two countries.

At the end of the talks, the two Ministers signed a Letter of Intent between the two countries' Defense Ministries on cooperation in military training.

Phuong Lien

Source: https://baochinhphu.vn/viet-nam-azerbaijan-ky-y-dinh-thu-ve-hop-tac-dao-tao-quan-nhan-102250904175809126.htm