Senior officials from 27 countries gathered in Cambodia ’s capital
Phnom Penh on May 24 for the ASEAN Regional Forum Defence Officials’
Dialogue.
They are expected to discuss ways of
stepping up cooperation on issues of humanitarian assistance, disaster
relief and peacekeeping operations.
Addressing the
meeting, Lieutenant General Nem Sowath, the Director General of the
Policy and Foreign Affairs Department at Cambodia ’s Defence
Ministry, said that the two-day forum is looking for further cooperation
from ASEAN’s partners to address the issues.
He
stressed that assistance from the dialogue partners is crucial for the
creation of an ASEAN region of peace, harmony and prosperity.
The meeting also debated the fight against human trafficking, drug
smuggling, maritime security and international terrorism in the region,
he added.
Apart from ASEAN officials, this year’s
talks drew defence officials from the United States , Russia , China ,
India , Japan and the Republic of Korea .
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) groups Brunei,
Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines,
Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.-VNA