Vietnam, Myanmar deepen defence ties in Hanoi talks

Vietnam and Myanmar have agreed to strengthen defence and security cooperation, including military training, information sharing and joint efforts to combat transnational crime, during talks between their leaders in Hanoi on Saturday, September 5.

The agreement was reached at a meeting between Vietnamese President To Lam and Myanmar President Min Aung Hlaing, who is on a three-day official visit to Vietnam.

Under the agreement, the two countries will expand cooperation in the training and exchange of young military officers, as well as in search and rescue and disaster response. They will also increase information sharing and coordination in combating transnational crime, drug trafficking, human trafficking, high-tech crime and online fraud.

The two leaders pledged not to allow individuals or organisations 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 in Myanmar and called for broader cooperation in agriculture, telecommunications, technology, energy and infrastructure. Current Vietnamese reporting also identifies digital transformation and energy among the areas being prioritised for expanded bilateral cooperation.

The leaders also agreed to strengthen exchanges through regional and international mechanisms, including those involving the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and Mekong subregional cooperation frameworks.

Myanmar’s leaders have been excluded from ASEAN leaders’ summits since the military seized power in February 2021, when Min Aung Hlaing, then the military’s commander-in-chief, ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi.

Min Aung Hlaing became president in April and appointed a new Cabinet. His visit to Vietnam is part of an effort to strengthen Myanmar’s regional ties following years of diplomatic isolation after the 2021 coup.

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

By Tamilla Hasanova