The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, announced on 5 August that the EU and Vietnam were looking for ways to work together more closely on security and defence matters.
In this context, the two partners “concluded negotiations on an agreement enabling Vietnam to participate in and contribute to EU crisis management operations, which play a key role in maintaining peace, preventing conflicts and strengthening international security”, she announced during a visit to the country.
Internal procedures must now be finalised so that the agreement can be signed, ratified and implemented.
During their meeting, the High Representative and the Vietnamese Minister of Defence, General Ngô Xuân Lich, also discussed the establishment of a partnership for cooperation in defence and security matters based on international law. The objective of this partnership will be to promote and protect the fundamental principles and rights enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to contribute to regional stability and to promote a peaceful and sustainable resolution of conflicts.
The EU and Vietnam also commit to working together to achieve tangible results in addressing common security challenges, particularly through the full implementation of UN Security Council resolutions and the Women, Peace and Security Agenda, according to the EEAS.
Europeans and the Vietnamese will also intensify their cooperation in United Nations peacekeeping operations. They will also strengthen their commitment to maintaining freedom of navigation, overflying and responding to the challenges of search and rescue, the fight against piracy and armed robbery against ships, organised crime and illicit trafficking in accordance with international law, especially the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Cybercrime will be another source of cooperation, through the sharing of experiences, in particular with regard to the Budapest Convention, the application of international law in cyberspace and the implementation of States’ standards of responsible behaviour.
In addition, Vietnam and the EU are committed to improving mutual understanding and supporting the regional security architecture led by ASEAN and other forms of multilateral cooperation in Asia. According to the EEAS and the Vietnamese Ministry of Defence, General Ngô Xuân Lich supported the EU's ambition to join the defence and security architectures of the Asia-Pacific region. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)