Vietnam, Turkey pledge to deepen defense cooperation

The meeting is part of Gorgun’s working visit to Vietnam from October 13 to 14.

Minister Giang praised the strong friendship and growing partnership between Vietnam and Turkey over nearly five decades of diplomatic ties, highlighting great potential for defense cooperation.

He stressed that Gorgun’s visit holds great significance, marking a concrete step toward implementing commitments made by the two countries’ leaders to foster defense industry cooperation, as outlined in the Vietnam–Turkey Joint Statement during Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s official visit to Turkey in November 2023.

Giang noted that bilateral defense industry collaboration has been actively promoted and achieved positive outcomes in recent years.

He said the two sides worked together to draft and sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on defense industry cooperation in July 2025, which provides a framework for boosting future collaboration in line with both sides’ needs and capabilities.

Based on this MoU, the minister proposed that the two sides make their cooperation more substantive, including strengthening exchanges of delegations at all levels, sharing information and legal frameworks on defense procurement, and supporting and joining each other’s defense exhibitions.

He reaffirmed that Vietnam pursues a foreign policy of diversification and multilateralization, promoting equal and mutually beneficial cooperation with all partners, including Turkey.

Any defense procurement from Turkey or other countries, he said, aims solely to enhance Vietnam’s self-defense capacity and safeguard peace and national sovereignty.

Giang added that Vietnam attaches great importance to international cooperation in the defense industry, with the goal of achieving self-reliance in military equipment production.

He affirmed that Vietnam stands ready to facilitate exchanges between Turkish defense enterprises and their Vietnamese partners to showcase products and explore potential areas of cooperation.

The minister reiterated Vietnam’s consistent defense policy of ‘four no’s’ – no military alliances, no siding with one country against another, no foreign military bases in Vietnamese territory, and no use or threat of force in international relations.

For his part, Gorgun said his visit demonstrated Turkey’s strong commitment to advancing bilateral relations, particularly in the defense industry.

He affirmed that defense cooperation is a key pillar of the Vietnam–Turkey relationship and expressed hope that the two sides will continue to deepen their defense collaboration in the time ahead.

Gorgun emphasized that the recently signed MoU provides an important foundation for implementing joint projects between the two countries, fostering mutual trust and ensuring reliable cooperation.