By Reuters | Posted by TOE

Vietnam and Myanmar agreed on Saturday to deepen defence and security cooperation, elevating the sector to ‌a pillar of bilateral ties as Vietnamese leader To ‌Lam hosted Myanmar President Min Aung Hlaing in Hanoi.

The two leaders agreed to ​expand cooperation in military training, exchanges between young officers, search-and-rescue operations and disaster response, while stepping up information sharing and coordination against crimes, the government said in a statement.

“Vietnam stands ready to share ‌its experience in national ⁠development, ensuring economic security and fostering sustainable growth,” Lam was quoted as saying during the talks, according ⁠to the statement.

Both sides also reaffirmed a commitment not to allow any individual or organisation to use one country’s territory for activities ​against ​the other.

The talks were held during ​Min Aung Hlaing’s first ‌official visit to Vietnam as Myanmar’s president. The two sides said they would strengthen political trust through more high-level exchanges and make better use of existing bilateral cooperation mechanisms.

Vietnam and Myanmar agreed to expand economic, trade and investment ties, identifying opportunities in high-tech ‌agriculture, food processing, telecommunications, information technology, ​digital transformation, energy and transport infrastructure.

The leaders ​also pledged closer coordination ​within ASEAN and Mekong subregional frameworks, reaffirming support ‌for peace, stability and freedom ​of navigation and ​overflight in the South China Sea, the statement said.

On Friday, Min Aung Hlaing visited a factory in northern Vietnam producing ​VinFast electric vehicles ‌and telecoms group Viettel, underscoring Myanmar’s interest in expanding cooperation ​with Vietnam in technology, telecommunications and industrial development.