PRESS RELEASE | PH and Vietnam hold NSA Bilateral Meeting to deepen security cooperation

  

The Philippines’ National Security Adviser Eduardo M. Año and Minister To Lam of the Vietnam Ministry of Public Security with the rest of the Philippine and Vietnamese Delegations as they witness Minister To Lam gave NSA Año a token of appreciation at the conclusion of the NSC-MPS Bilateral Meeting, held at the sides of President Marcos’ state visit to Hanoi, Vietnam, 29 January 2024. Photo from NSC

 Date 02-01-2024

National Security Adviser Eduardo M. Año and Minister To Lam met at the sidelines of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr.’s State Visit to Hanoi, Vietnam last 29 January 2024 to deepen security cooperation between the two (2) countries amidst the continuing evolution of the regional security environment.

The bilateral meeting was the first such meeting of the Philippines’ National Security Council (NSC) and Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security (MPS) since 2016. Minister Lam considered the meeting as “a milestone for a strong transformation of security cooperation between the two countries,” emphasizing that Vietnam will always attach great importance and priority to enhance Philippines-Vietnam relations.

NSA Año, on the other hand, believes that such meetings focused on national security and matters of mutual concern in the region will contribute to enhancing confidence building measures and further deepen Philippines-Vietnam relations. Both NSA Año and Minister Lam agreed to increasing exchanges at all levels given the continuing evolution of the regional security environment.

On defense and security, NSA Año reiterated the agreement during the 5th Philippines-Vietnam Vice Ministers’ Defense Strategic Dialogue (VMDSD), held back-to-back with the 6th Meeting of the Defense Cooperation Working Group (DCWG), to foster cooperation in maritime and aviation security, defense industry, mutual logistics support, military medicine, counter-terrorism, cyber security, peacekeeping operations, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR), and other traditional and non-traditional security concerns.

The Philippine NSA urged Minister Lam to look into the possibility of working together with the Philippines on strengthening coordination in the implementation of initiatives, particularly those at the level of the ASEAN Defense Ministerial Meeting (ADMM), which include the ASEAN Direct Communications Infrastructure, Guidelines for Maritime Interaction, and the Guidelines for Air Military Encounters, which has annexes including “Observing Existing Aviation Conventions and Rules,” “Safe and Professional Communications,” “Standard Flight Procedures,” and “Encouraging Mutual Trust and Confidence in the Air.”NSA Año shared his hope for the early conclusion of the proposed Philippines-Vietnam MOU Concerning the Provision of Mutual Logistic Support as a way for both countries to mutually advance their respective defense and security capabilities.

On the South China Sea (SCS)/West Philippine Sea (WPS) issue, NSA Año shared with Minister Lam his optimism relative to the Philippines-Vietnam Memorandum of Understanding on Maritime Security, emphasizing that the agreement will enable both the Philippines and Vietnam to better manage conflicts in the SCS/WPS and conduct activities in accordance with the principles of international law, the national laws of each party, and international conventions to which both Vietnam and the Philippines are parties.

He also reaffirmed the importance of ASEAN Centrality, stressing that ASEAN shouldcontinue to be a stabilizing factor and platform in promoting regional peace and security. In this regard, the NSA encouraged Vietnam to participate actively in theASEAN Coast Guards Forum (ACF) which the Philippines will be hosting this year.

Vietnam, for its part, raised the possibility of making use of intelligence cooperation as a platform to share information and conduct mutual consultations over sensitive issues that are hard to convey through official channels.

On terrorism and transnational crimes, NSA Año proposed information and intelligence exchange as one of the areas where cooperation on counter terrorism can be pursued, given that the threat of international and local terrorist groups remains a significant challenge to global security. As an initial activity, the NSA raised the possibility of conducting exchanges of views on each countries’ anti-terror laws and cooperating on simulation exercises to determine the best practices in the application of legal measures vis-a-vis extra-territoriality and border issues.

On combating transnational crimes – such as people smuggling, human trafficking, robbery at sea, hijacking and kidnap for ransom, wildlife trafficking, firearms trafficking and smuggling of illicit goods – NSA Año said that the Philippines and Vietnam may pursue cooperation to strengthen border controls and security measures, including port security in strategic locations. 

On cybersecurity, NSA Año proposed exchanging views and collaboration on cybersecurity, especially with regard to capacity building and protecting digital infrastructure, platforms, data, and network. The NSA particularly raised his interest to know of Vietnam’s effort to create a safe and regulated cyberspace, and how Vietnam is reinforcing the protection of its national sovereignty in various areas of cyberspace, including digital infrastructure, platforms, data, national cyber infrastructure, and information systems used by party and state agencies.

The NSA also invited Minister Lam to visit the Philippines in the future.