Defense relations with more than 100 countries, a new position for Vietnam to rise up

In the context of a volatile and complex world, where cooperation and struggle are intertwined and rapidly transforming, defense diplomacy has affirmed its role as one of the pillars to build strategic trust, resolve contradictions, minimize disagreements, prevent war and conflict, and maintain a peaceful and stable environment for national development.

Defense diplomacy not only contributes to enhancing the country's prestige and position in the international arena but also becomes the "long connecting arm" of the Party's foreign affairs and State diplomacy, opening up new opportunities and creating a solid foundation for Vietnam to enter a new era, an era of national self-reliance.

In an interview with VOV, Major General, Professor, Doctor Nguyen Hong Quan, former Deputy Director of the Institute of Defense Strategy, said: Currently, we have military and defense relations with over 100 armies of countries on 5 continents. Defense diplomacy actively participates in enhancing Vietnam's position, making our country more confident, proud, and confident in entering the era of self-reliance.

Major General, Professor, Doctor Nguyen Hong Quan, former Deputy Director of the Institute of Defense Strategy

PV: Major General, if we look at the country's position and potential from the perspective of foreign affairs in general and defense diplomacy in particular, in your opinion, what contributions does our defense diplomacy make to creating a peaceful environment, bringing Vietnam further into the flow of integration with the world?

Major General Nguyen Hong Quan: If we look at it from the perspective of foreign affairs, including defense diplomacy, we can say that we have implemented very synchronously the requirements to enhance the country's potential and position. Firstly, we have strengthened relations with important poles in shaping the future world order. We follow the international situation and see that the US-Russia negotiations are taking place in Saudi Arabia, and the upcoming US-Russia Summit... Such meetings will shape the world after the Russia-Ukraine conflict. And there is a tendency to divide the world into blocs, and if we are not proactive, we may stand on this side and they stand on the other side. We have our own technology, our own economy, our own market, our own currency... Therefore, we proactively play with all poles, play with all sides. We upgrade our relations to strategic partnerships with many countries. And especially in defense, we have relations with all five permanent members of the UN Security Council. This is very rare. It can be said that in the past few decades, since normalizing relations with the United States in 1995, we have had relations with all five permanent members of the UN Security Council. In general, for many countries, our defense relations are one of the important pillars, such as relations with Russia, China, India, Japan, Australia, etc.

PV: In foreign affairs, in such deep international integration, we still maintain balance in international relations, especially with major countries. And therefore, we are not tilted or wavering on one side or the other in the context of fierce and complicated strategic competition between countries?

Major General Nguyen Hong Quan: That's right, we are very excited that we now have military and defense relations with over 100 armies of countries on 5 continents. Once we have relations, we will handle the relations between these partners well. We develop defense relations with all strategic partners of different trends and maintain a balance in relations with our partners. Therefore, in relations with these countries, there are also advantages, opening up opportunities for us. At the same time, we must also overcome difficulties and challenges to maintain those relations. When we have relations, when there are proposals, people are ready. Defense diplomacy has done this very well in recent years.

PV: Not only does it create a peaceful environment and push back the risk of war and conflict early and from afar, but our defense diplomacy also contributes to shaping mechanisms in international relations at the regional and global levels, Major General Nguyen Hong Quan?

Major General Nguyen Hong Quan: Defense diplomacy actively participates in building, shaping and creating the rules of the game for regional security. For example, we actively fight to maintain the central role of ASEAN. But now, this region is being shaped and influenced by major countries. Therefore, among ASEAN member countries, Vietnam plays a pioneering, core and central role in ASEAN. In particular, within ASEAN, we promote the ADMM+ mechanism, which is the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting Plus mechanism. ADMM+ is 10 ASEAN countries plus 8 major partner countries, including all major countries in the world such as Russia, the US, China, India, Japan, Australia, South Korea, etc. In the future, some countries in Europe or North America can also participate in this mechanism.

PV: One of the hallmarks of Vietnam's defense diplomacy is the participation of blue beret soldiers in the UN peacekeeping force. That is also a message affirming to the international community that Vietnam wants to live in peace and Vietnam also wants the world to live in peace?

Major General Nguyen Hong Quan: When we join the UN peacekeeping force, first of all, we meet the expectations of the international community. Because Vietnam is the country that suffered the most during decades of war. People believe that the armed forces, specifically the Vietnamese Army, have been the ones who have overcome difficulties and challenges with the entire people, and will bring positive experiences to contribute to world peace. Second, our blue beret force meets the requirements of our friends, especially developing countries, African, Asian, and Latin American countries. They also have similar circumstances to Vietnam. They also experienced war, conflict, and even very brutal ones. Now, people see our Vietnamese friends - those who have used their blood and bones to protect the peace of their country, bringing that experience and effort to serve the stability of regions around the world. That is something that international friends are very interested in.

Defense diplomacy actively participates in enhancing Vietnam's position, making our country more confident, proud, and confident in entering the era of self-reliance.

PV: With what you have just analyzed, can it be affirmed that defense diplomacy has contributed to creating a solid position and strength for us to enter the era of rising up, which was determined to start from the 14th National Party Congress?

Major General Nguyen Hong Quan: We are confident in making positive contributions to world politics, the global economy and human civilization. That is the common role of Vietnam's foreign affairs. Regarding defense diplomacy, we have gradually expanded and participated in solving common tasks of the ASEAN region and the world. We have gradually expanded our participation in UN peacekeeping forces. From 2014 to now, we have participated in the military medical force and the engineering force. Next, there may be other forces, not only the army but also the police. That shows that our defense diplomacy and security diplomacy are parts of the Party's foreign affairs and State diplomacy. We actively participate in raising Vietnam's position, making our country more confident and proud to enter the era of rising up.

PV: We expand international integration and exchange, strengthen defense diplomacy, which is also a strategy to prevent the risks of war and conflict early and from afar?

Major General Nguyen Hong Quan: That's right, Vietnam's defense diplomacy has made a great contribution to implementing the policy of protecting the Fatherland from afar, preventing the risk of war and conflict. Thanks to expanding defense relations, we have maintained security on land borders, participated in the struggle to protect sovereignty over seas and islands at regional and world forums. Thanks to maintaining military technical cooperation, we have improved, upgraded, extended the time of use and self-manufactured a number of quality weapons and military technical equipment. We are best prepared for war, which is the best way to avoid war, prevent and eliminate the risk of conflict early. At bilateral and multilateral meetings, we have fought frankly against the risks that endanger Vietnam's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.

PV: In the current context, strategic competition between countries is taking place in a very complex and unpredictable manner, directly affecting all countries, including Vietnam. In such a context, do you think that in order to protect the Fatherland early and from afar, our defense diplomacy needs to have strategic forecasts?

Major General Nguyen Hong Quan: Yes, currently, facing the complicated developments of great power competition, especially those competitions related to our area, our country, our defense diplomacy needs to do a good job of strategic research and forecasting, especially long-term comprehensive research in relations with great powers, which have direct impact on the world, the region and our country. We must advise, detect early and propose countermeasures and measures to optimally resolve unfavorable external factors, in order to maintain a peaceful environment.

PV: The military doctrine of some countries is that they often proactively launch aggressive wars to protect their country, before they see that their national interests are threatened. For us, it is always consistent with the policy of self-defense. This is also a measure for us to protect our Fatherland early, from afar...

Major General Nguyen Hong Quan: The first policy of peaceful self-defense is that we do not wage war with anyone, do not invade anyone, but we retain the right to self-defense when invaded, and the right to respond strongly when attacked.

Second, the policy of peaceful self-defense is reflected in our defense strategy, which is to conduct people's war. When the country is at war, the entire population is a soldier, when the country is at peace, a very small army is retained to serve as the core for the cause of defending the Fatherland. The third manifestation of this policy of peaceful self-defense is the level of investment in national defense.

Our Party and State invest in accordance with the country's economic growth rate. For example, in the past 10 years, Vietnam's defense budget has never reached 3% of GDP. With such a limited budget, it can be said that we ensure the equipment of weapons for the army, for training, as well as partly take care of the material and spiritual life of soldiers. The self-defense policy is also demonstrated in that we are determined to persistently fight to resolve all disputes and disagreements by peaceful means. And another thing is that we do not focus on purchasing strategic offensive weapons, we do not intend to develop nuclear weapons. Therefore, the types of campaign and tactical weapons that we possess today are not strategic offensive weapons but only self-defense weapons.

PV: Thank you very much!