The third Vietnam-Italy defence policy dialogue is held in Hanoi on July 10 under the co-chair of Deputy Defence Minister Be Xuan Truong and Undersecretary of State for Defence of Italy Angelo Tofalo.

The officials exchanged views on regional and global issues of shared concernand reviewed the outcomes of bilateral defence cooperation reaped after thesecond defence policy dialogue.

They agreed on the contents and measures to step up the cooperation in thefuture, especially ways to maximize the operation efficiency of the defencepolicy dialogue at the deputy defence minister level and the working group ondefence cooperation.

They also agreed to intensify collaboration at multilateral mechanisms andforums, maintain partnership in training, especially language training, enhancecooperation in UN peacekeeping via the exchange of experts in the field, and setup an international cooperation mechanism on bomb and mine consequencesrecovery in Vietnam.

Later, Undersecretary of State for Defence Angelo Tofalo was received by Chiefof the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army and Deputy Defence MinisterPhan Van Giang.

Giang expressed his hope that the maintenance and effective implementation of cooperativemechanisms will contribute greatly to ratcheting up bilateral defencecooperation and the Vietnam-Italy defence ties will become a pillar of the twocountries’ strategic partnership.

Vietnam and Italy signed a memorandum of understanding on defence cooperationin 2013.

During their time in Vietnam, Italy’s defence officers visited the Hong Haship-building factory, the Northern Helicopter Company, several historical andcultural relic sites in Hanoi, and Ha Long Bay in Quang Ninh province.-VNA