Hanoi, Rajab 14, 1433, Jun 4, 2012, SPA - U.S. Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta Panetta met here today Vietnam's Defense Minister Hung Quang Thanh and reviewed with him aspects of strengthening bilateral ties and cooperation between the two countries. The talks focused on a defence pact agreed in September on cooperation, maritime security, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, according to a report of DPA. "Our meeting today was an opportunity to take pride in how far we've come over this relatively short period in our bilateral defence relationship," Panetta said. "We also discussed how the US would work with Vietnam in the ASEAN(The Association of Southeast Asian Nations) defense ministers group to try to improve the maritime rights of all nations." --SPA 13:09 LOCAL TIME 10:09 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/1004517