Vietnamese Defence Minister General Phung Quang Thanh on July 27 welcomed ASEAN Naval Chiefs who have been in Hanoi to attend their fifth meeting (ANCM-5).

He stressed that ANCM-5 promoted cooperation in defence for the goal of peace, contributing to building up the ASEAN Community by 2015. The meeting reached an important advance in accelerating activities of cooperation among ASEAN navies.

Thanh also emphasised the significance of the meeting, saying that it took place in the spirit of the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting and partners (ADMM+) and discussed issues to maintain peace, stability and development in the region, including cooperation in maritime security, anti-terrorism, search and rescue, and humanitarian activities.

Regarding the East Sea , the Defence Minister said that ASEAN countries, along with opportunities for cooperation, facing traditional and non-traditional security challenges that required are cooperation efforts of navies of the regional regions.

He affirmed Vietnam’s stance, noting that Vietnam always define protecting territorial sovereignty parallel with maintaining an environment of peace, stability and strengthening friendship with neighbouring countries in order to promote comprehensive cooperation and national development.

All disputes in the East Sea needed to be solved by peaceful measures and through negotiations and talks on the basis of international laws, specifically the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (COC) and advancing to the Code of Conduct between ASEAN and China (COC), he said.

The Naval Chief of Brunei, the host of ANCM-6 in 2012, on behalf of the ASEAN chiefs, said the Vietnam People’s Army had successfully organised ANCM-5, and highly valued the enhancement of cooperation among ASEAN navies in maintaining an environment of maritime peace and security.

The Brunei naval chief expressed his belief that following the agreed results, parties would unceasingly boost cooperation for the purposes of peace, contributing to fostering friendship among ASEAN countries.
On the same day, Lieut. Gen. Do Ba Ty, Chief of the General Staff, met with Rear Admiral Ng Chee Peng, Chief of Singapore Navy.

Ty welcomed the Rear Admiral’s visit and attendance at ANCM-5 in Vietnam , and affirmed that Vietnam always strongly supports guidelines set by the meeting.

The Singaporean Rear Admiral congratulated the Vietnam People’s Navy for its successful organisation of ANCM-5.

He expressed his wish that the Vietnam People’s Army will o help Singapore’s army train interpreters in Vietnamese and send officers to work at the information exchange centre of the Singapore navy, contributing to increasing friendship, solidarity and raising efficiency of cooperation and development between armies and navies of the two countries./.