The first meeting of the Asian Defence Ministers Meeting (ADMM)-Plus Experts’ Working Group on Humanitarian Mine Action (EWG on HMA) will be held in Hanoi on June 18, focusing on evaluating the challenges and consequences caused by bombs and mines left over from wars and conflicts in ASEAN countries and others.

The main agenda of the event were announced by the General Politics Department of the Vietnam People’s Army at a June 12 press conference in Hanoi.

Vietnam and India will co-chair the event. Earlier, they prepared an action plan for the working group between 2014 and 2017, approved by the ASEAN Defence Senior Officials’ Meeting Plus (ADSOM+) in late April.

The detailed content of the action plan will be presented at the scheduled event.

The meeting aims to further boost military cooperation between Asian Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM+) members in clearing unexploded ordnance dropped during wars, based on the ratified plan, in addition to seeking cooperation opportunities in the work.

It will help raise stakeholders’ awareness of risks and challenges posed by leftover bombs and mines as well as the international community’s responsibility for surmounting the bomb and mine aftermaths.

Vietnamese representatives are scheduled to deliver a report on the country’s pollution by unexploded bombs and mines and put forth some solutions to overcome the consequences.-VNA