ASEAN defence ministerial meeting retreat opens in Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur (VNA) – The third ASEAN Defence Ministerial Meeting Retreat opened in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on November 3, with initiatives to foster regional defence ties and trust on the agenda.

The Vietnamese delegation to the event is led by Deputy Defence Minister Admiral Nguyen Van Hien.

Themed "Maintaining regional security and stability for and by the people", the event set the target of promoting trust among member states and increasing awareness of emerging security challenges in the region and the world.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Malaysian Defence Minister Hishamuddin Tun Husein said defence-security cooperation is a key pillar in the ASEAN political-security community.

The ASEAN is fully aware of arising security challenges in the region, including territorial disputes, threatened navigation security and safety, natural disasters and epidemics, he said, adding that the emergence of the self-declared Islamic State (IS) is posing unforeseeable risks to the global security.

He affirmed the ASEAN’s stance on condemning IS’s violent acts and those committed by similar groups.

During the closed-door meeting, ministers discussed ASEAN’s internal affairs, including reviewing one-year implementation of regional defence cooperation mechanisms and devising new schemes to boost practical links, particularly holding manoeuvres to strengthen defence capacity.-VNA