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.

-Reuters