The European Union signed an agreement with Vietnam on Thursday that sets up a framework for Hanoi's participation in the EU's crisis management operations and promotes a bilateral security and defense cooperation partnership
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th October, 2019) The European Union signed an agreement with Vietnam on Thursday that sets up a framework for Hanoi's participation in the EU's crisis management operations and promotes a bilateral security and defense cooperation partnership.
The signing of the agreement comes two months after EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini met with Vietnamese Defense Minister Ngo Xuan Lich in Hanoi to discuss the framework.
"With the signature of this Framework Participation Agreement today the EU and Viet Nam have committed themselves to address shared security challenges in Asia and elsewhere," EU Foreign Affairs spokeswoman, Maja Kocijancic, said in a statement.
The agreement creates a framework to govern and facilitate Vietnam's participation in EU-led civilian and military crisis management operations.
Through the agreement, the country to which assistance is being provided, can request from the EU support and training in its efforts to conduct law and security reforms.
Vietnam is the second partner country in Asia to sign this type of agreement with the European Union and the first in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
The EU has been stepping up its engagement with the Southeast Asian country. In 2012, the two sides signed a Framework Agreement on Partnership and Cooperation, which went into effect in 2016 and aims to expand bilateral cooperation throughout various spheres. Since then, the two sides have formed a joint committee to facilitate the implementation of the agreement, which had its first meeting in Hanoi in May.
