Hanoi (VNA)♐ – Politburo member, President Vo Van Thuong, who is Chairman of the Council of National Defence and Security, on January 4chaired the 4th meeting of the council.

The meeting also saw the attendance of Politburo members: Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh - Vice Chairman of the Council, National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue - Member of the Council, Minister of Public Security Gen. To Lam - Member of the Council, and Minister of National Defence Gen. Phan Van Giang - Member of the Council, among others. At the meeting, the council discussed and gave opinions on the results achieved invarious fields, especially national defence, security, and foreign affairs, over the past time. Participants in the meeting analysed and assessed the world and regionalsituation and its impacts and influence on Vietnam. They proposed the agenda and tasks for the council in 2024. The council agreed that its meetings in 2024 will focus onimportant, strategic issues related to national defence, security, and foreignaffairs. Based on the results of the discussions, it will propose suggestions to thePolitburo, the National Assembly, and the Government. On behalf of the council, President Thuong praised the military, police, and diplomatic forces for completing politicaltasks and achieving many important and comprehensive results. He said that the world situation is expected to continue developing complicatedly and unpredictably, so the forces and relevant agencies will have tocontinue to uphold the achieved results, closely follow and effectivelyimplement the policies, guidelines, and decisions of the Politburo and the Secretariat of the Party Central Committee, the National Assembly and the Government as well as the direction of PartyGeneral Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong on national defence, security and foreign affairs. They were asked to focus on implementing the Resolution of the8th plenum of the 13th Party Central Committee on the strategy to protect the Fatherland in the new situation, meeting the requirements of firmly protectingthe independence, sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity of the Fatherland, ensuring national security, maintaining social order and safety,and stepping up comprehensive and extensive international integration. President Thuong emphasised that in the coming time, the council needs tocontinue to closely follow, monitor, proactively grasp, study, analyse, evaluate, and forecastthe world, regional, and domestic situation, especially emerging strategic issues that affect Vietnam's national defence and security so that itcan properly propose policies and solutions to the Party and the State. It is also necessary to focus on protecting the Party'sideological foundation and fighting hostile forces; and continuing to promotethe tradition and strength of the great national unity bloc in the cause of nationalconstruction and protection, he stressed./.