HANOI (Reuters): Vietnam and Myanmar agreed on Saturday to deepen defence and security cooperation, elevating the sector to a pillar of bilateral ties as Vietnamese leader To Lam hosted Myanmar President Min Aung Hlaing in Hanoi.
The two leaders agreed to expand cooperation in military training, exchanges between young officers, search-and-rescue operations and disaster response, while stepping up information sharing and coordination against crimes, the government said in a statement.
"Vietnam stands ready to share its experience in national development, ensuring economic security and fostering sustainable growth,” Lam was quoted as saying during the talks, according to the statement.
Both sides also reaffirmed a commitment not to allow any individual or organisation to use one country's territory for activities against the other.
The talks were held during Min Aung Hlaing’s first official visit to Vietnam as Myanmar’s president. The two sides said they would strengthen political trust through more high-level exchanges and make better use of existing bilateral cooperation mechanisms.
Vietnam and Myanmar agreed to expand economic, trade and investment ties, identifying opportunities in high-tech agriculture, food processing, telecommunications, information technology, digital transformation, energy and transport infrastructure.
The leaders also pledged closer coordination within ASEAN and Mekong subregional frameworks, reaffirming support for peace, stability and freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea, the statement said.
On Friday, Min Aung Hlaing visited a factory in northern Vietnam producing VinFast electric vehicles and telecoms group Viettel, underscoring Myanmar’s interest in expanding cooperation with Vietnam in technology, telecommunications and industrial development.
(Reporting by Khanh Vu Editing by Shri Navaratnam) -- Reuters
