Vietnam, Myanmar agree to strengthen defense, security cooperation

Vietnam and Myanmar on Saturday agreed to strengthen defense and security cooperation during talks between their leaders in Hanoi.

The agreement was reached during a meeting between Vietnamese President To Lam and Myanmar President Min Aung Hlaing.

The two countries will expand cooperation in young officer training and exchanges, as well as search and rescue and disaster response, according to a Vietnamese government statement.

They also agreed to enhance information sharing and coordination in combating transnational crime, drug and human trafficking, high-tech crimes and online fraud.

Both leaders pledged not to allow individuals or organizations to use “one country’s territory against the other.”

To Lam offered to share Vietnam’s experience in economic development and international integration, while Min Aung Hlaing pledged to facilitate Vietnamese investment and urged expanded cooperation in agriculture, telecommunications, technology, energy and infrastructure.

The two leaders also agreed to strengthen exchanges through regional and international mechanisms, including those within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Mekong subregion cooperation frameworks.

Myanmar’s leaders have been excluded from ASEAN leaders’ summits since 2021, when the military seized power in the country.

Min Aung Hlaing, who led the military coup that ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government in February 2021, assumed the presidency and appointed a new Cabinet in April.

Vietnam and Myanmar stressed the need to ensure peace, stability, security and freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea, while calling for disputes to be resolved peacefully in accordance with international law.