The 9 th ASEAN Military Intelligence Informal Meeting (AMIIM-9) opened in Phnom Penh , Cambodia on March 27, drawing the participation of intelligence leaders of ten member countries.

The Vietnamese delegation was led by Lieut. Gen. Luu Duc Huy, Director of the General Department of Military Intelligence under the Ministry of National Defence.

In his opening remark, General Chea Tara, Deputy Commander of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) cum Director of the RCAF Research and Intelligence Bureau, said that intelligence cooperation plays an important role in strengthening and consolidating relations between member countries.

Dealing with hidden threats to regional peace and stability remains a concern of ASEAN as well as of each member country, he said.

Speaking at the event, Lieut. Gen. Huy said that ASEAN military intelligence cooperation helps improve capacity in handling security challenges facing each nation as well as the whole bloc.

Intelligence cooperation is the meter of ASEAN trust and solidarity, so it should be prioritised and add to the momentum for building the regional community, he said.

Participants at the meeting agreed on the theme of the upcoming 9 th ASEAN Chiefs of Defence Forces Informal Meeting (ACDFIM-9), the draft joint statement of ACDFIM-9 and an agreement on future operations of ACDFIM-9.-VNA