The 7 th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM 7) kicked off in Brunei ’s capital city of Bandar Seri Begawan on May 7, discussing measures and actions to be taken to further intensify defence and security cooperation in the 10-nation bloc.

With the theme “ Securing our people, our future together”, ADMM 7 looks to raise consciousness on common security and defence challenges and increasing publicity and transparency to boost mutual trust among members.

The three-day meeting also aims to promote each member country’s role in the process of building an ASEAN Community, where people are at the centre.

Opening the meeting, Brunei Minister of Energy Haji Mohammad Yasmin, who is also Chair of this year’s ADMM, called for the bloc’s closer coordination to step up joint efforts at bilateral and multilateral levels to deal with challenges and maintain a stable environment for the region to progress and achieve prosperity.

He also praised the establishment of an open dialogue forum with other partners of ASEAN, especially within the framework of the ADMM plus.

ADMM, first held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 2006, is the highest defence cooperation forum within ASEAN, which groups Thailand, Indonesia, Brunei, Myanmar, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.-VNA