ADMM+ mechanism proves its importance

The ASEAN Defence Ministerial Meeting Plus (ADMM+) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (Source: VNA)

Some countries proposed holding the ADMM+ every year instead of the current once every two years.

The event saw the participation of defence ministers and defence minister’s representatives from 10 ASEAN member states and partner countries – Australia, New Zealand, China, the Republic of Korea, Japan, India, the United States and Russia.

Address the meeting, the head of the Vietnamese delegation, Deputy Defence Minister Admiral Nguyen Van Hien, affirmed the region is facing many risks and increasingly sophisticated challenges that go beyond the control of a single country.

He proposed several measures to enhance defence cooperation considering its important role in ensuring a peaceful, stable and secure environment for the development of each country, the region and the world as a whole

Firstly, importance should be given to measures to build trust and prevent suspicion and misunderstanding that could lead to mistaken calculations, while international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea , should be considered as a basis for resolving disputes in East Sea, the Vietnamese representative said.

He also called on countries to observe the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea ( DOC) and build the Code of Conduct (COC) in the East Sea, which would be an effective tool to prevent and control conflict risks at sea, while refraining from using force or threatening to use force; doing what one says and respecting each other’s interests as stipulated by international law in order to cooperate with sincerity.

Secondly, the ADMM+ mechanism should be strengthened, especially improving the effectiveness of its Working Groups; paying attention to the continuation between co-chair tenures and establishing standard working procedures to coordinate better in joint activities on the ground.

Thirdly, improving real action capability through bilateral and multilateral cooperation, the Vietnamese representative said, asking dialogue partners to study the possibility of improving capability for ASEAN nations, including Vietnam, to narrow ability gap in joint activities.

Besides the main points, Admiral Hien also made some specific proposals such as integrating drills for the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea (CUES) and Search and Rescue Drill at Sea into the action plan of ADMM+ Experts Group.

The next ADMM+ will be hosted by Laos, who will become chairman of ASEAN in 2016.

Following the meeting, Malaysian Defence Minister Hishammunddin Hussein told the media that the host country issued a statement of the Chair of the ADMM+ and no joint statement was issued as planned because ADMM+ participating countries failed to reach consensus on some content of the draft joint statement.-VNA