Hanoi (VNA) - Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on September 4 urged the defence ministries of Vietnam and Azerbaijan to further deepen cooperation in line with relevant documents signed by the two countries.

The leader made the suggestion while receiving Azerbaijan’s Minister of Defence Colonel General Hasanov Zakir Asgar Oglu, who is in Vietnam for an official visit and attendance at the 80th anniversary of the country’s August Revolution and National Day.

PM Chinh expressed confidence that the minister’s visit would contribute to the traditional friendship and Strategic Partnership between Vietnam and Azerbaijan in general, and to defence cooperation in particular.

The leader praised Azerbaijan’s achievements in nation-building and development, affirming that the Vietnamese Party and State always value the traditional friendship, nurtured by President Ho Chi Minh, the late Azerbaijani President Heydar Aliyev, and successive generations of leaders and people of both countries.

The Vietnamese people always treasure and remember the wholehearted support provided by the Azerbaijani people to Vietnam during the struggle for national reunification and in the ongoing effort to build and protect the country, particularly in personnel training, he stressed.

Vietnam recently erected a monument to Soviet military experts within the Vietnam Military History Museum in Hanoi to honour the invaluable assistance given by the people of the Soviet Union, including those from Azerbaijan, during the nation’s struggle for liberation and reunification, the PM continued.

He emphasised that Vietnam hopes to promote peaceful, friendly, and cooperative relations with countries, including Azerbaijan.

The PM said Party General Secretary To Lam’s state visit to Azerbaijan in May 2025 and the issuance of a joint statement establishing the Strategic Partnership help strengthen bilateral relations, providing an important foundation for cooperation across various fields.

He suggested enhancing defence cooperation through exchanges at all levels, especially high-level delegations; promoting collaboration in education and training; and cooperation in logistics, technical support, research, technology transfer, and defence industry development.

The leader also spoke of boosting rail connectivity, cultural exchanges, and people-to-people interactions.

The Vietnamese Government will provide the most favourable conditions for the two ministries to continue strengthening relations in line with each country’s needs and capabilities, he said.

For his part, the guest congratulated Vietnam on successfully organising the military parade marking the 80th National Day and noted with pleasure growing relations between the two countries, particularly following General Secretary Lam’s visit.

Noting that the two countries share many commonalities that could be strengthened, the minister said Azerbaijan’s high-ranking leaders wish to enhance cooperation with Vietnam.

He also emphasised the significant potential for bilateral cooperation, pledging to work harder to boost defence cooperation, thereby making substantive and effective contributions to the overall relations between the two countries./.