Philippines, Vietnam discuss bilateral naval ties

Philippine Navy officers discussed areas of cooperation with their Vietnamese counterparts at a virtual meeting on Thursday.

Chief of Naval Staff Rear Admiral Caesar Bernard Valencia led the members of the Philippine Navy staff while the Vietnam People's Navy was represented by Rear Admiral Pham Khac Luong during the 7th Staff-to-Staff Talks (STST).

“The talks focused on broader strategic, organizational, decision-making, training, and operational issues of mutual interest to both navies and served as a forum to discuss future initiatives,” the Philippine Navy said in a statement.

The STST is a periodic engagement between the Philippine and Vietnamese navies that aims to maintain peace and security in the maritime region.

It is one of the avenues that strengthen ties between the two countries that also include high-level delegation exchange visits, ship port visits, people interaction and exchanges, and other bilateral naval activities. — VBL, GMA News