Manila: President Benigno Aquino will arrive in Vietnam on Tuesday for a state visit, to discuss bilateral agreements on defence, as well as a number of other topics.
Aquino’s state visit will take place from October 26 to 27, at the invitation of the Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet.
Vietnam and the Philippines are both members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and representatives from the Philippines’ Department of National Defence and their Vietnamese counterparts are expected to sign a memorandum of agreement on defence cooperation, which will include equipment and technological collaboration, as well as mutual assistance in defence industries.
The two countries share common concerns, including aspirations to become self-reliant in the areas of defence and security. Both were former colonies or closely allied states of foreign countries.
They will discuss academic cooperation, how to deal with oil spills and search and rescue measures at sea.
An agreement on ‘Oil spill preparedness and response’ will include human resources development, mutual assistance, information exchange and research and development.
The ‘Search and rescue at sea’ agreement aims to enhance the efficiency of operations for ships, aircraft and people in distress.
Aquino, during his visit to Vietnam is also expected to address Vietnamese and ASEAN business leaders at a business and investment conference in Hanoi on October 27.He will also meet members of the Filipino community and inform them of his plans to help overseas Filipino workers.
There are an estimated 3,500 Filipinos living in Vietnam, most of whom are employed in high-level managerial and executive positions.
