At the meeting, General Phan Van Giang congratulated Ambassador Giorgio Aliberti on his successful tenure in Vietnam, making an important contribution to promoting Vietnam-EU relations in general and cooperation in the defense sector in particular. General Phan Van Giang affirmed that Vietnam-EU relations have been paid attention to and maintained by senior leaders of both sides, as demonstrated by the working visit in December 2022 of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh to attend the Summit to celebrate the 45th anniversary of ASEAN-EU relations. The visit has contributed to promoting the development of ASEAN-EU relations, achieving effectiveness in the fields of economy, trade, climate change response, etc. General Phan Van Giang highly appreciated the efforts of Ambassador Giorgio Aliberti in recent times, including supporting the implementation of measures to remove the yellow card (IUU) for Vietnamese aquatic and seafood products.

Reception scene.

Also at the meeting, General Phan Van Giang affirmed that over the past time, the cooperation in the field of defense has been implemented by both sides in accordance with the framework of the Framework Agreement on Comprehensive Partnership and Cooperation (PCA) and the Agreement between the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the EU on establishing a framework for Vietnam's participation in EU crisis management activities (FPA). Defense cooperation between the two sides has achieved positive results in the following areas: Defense and Security Dialogue (recently, the two sides successfully organized the 3rd Vietnam-EU Defense and Security Dialogue in May 2023); cooperation in the fields of training, United Nations (UN) peacekeeping, and overcoming the consequences of war. In particular, in the field of UN peacekeeping, the EU has supported Vietnam to send two officers to the EU Training Mission in the Central African Republic for the first time and to send EU experts to work at the Vietnam Peacekeeping Department from 2019 to present.

General Phan Van Giang presents gifts to EU Ambassador Giorgio Aliberti.

General Phan Van Giang believes that in his new position, with his capacity and experience, Ambassador Giorgio Aliberti will continue to achieve many successes, contributing to promoting cooperation between the EU and countries in the region, including Vietnam, for peace, stability, cooperation and common development of the region and the world.

General Phan Van Giang, Ambassador Giorgio Aliberti and delegates at the reception.

For his part, Ambassador Giorgio Aliberti was honored to meet General Phan Van Giang, and expressed his affection for the country and people of Vietnam, where the Ambassador has been attached to and had many interesting experiences during his term of office. Ambassador Giorgio Aliberti affirmed that in recent times, the Vietnam-EU relationship has developed strongly, and in the future, the cooperative relationship between the two sides has much potential for further development. On this occasion, Ambassador Giorgio Aliberti expressed his gratitude for the support of Vietnam in general and the Ministry of National Defense in particular during the Ambassador's term of office in Vietnam; emphasized Vietnam's efforts in many fields, including the field of UN peacekeeping; and affirmed that the EU is not only a partner but also a friend who is always ready to cooperate and accompany the Vietnamese Government in all fields.

HA PHUONG