The ASEAN Senior Defence Officials Meeting Plus (ASDOM+) in Cambodiaon April 26 reached a consensus on a number of ways of improvingregional defence and cooperation on matters of security.
The meeting, chaired by General Neang Phat, Secretary of State forthe Cambodian Defence Ministry brought together representatives from all10 ASEAN member countries and eight of its partners. They includedAustralia , China , India , Japan , New Zealand , the Republic ofKorea , Russia and the US .
The Vietnamese delegation was led by Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh, Deputy Minister for National Defence.
At the meeting, the participants agreed to increase the frequencyof the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM+) to every two yearsinstead of every three at present, in the interests of each nation aswell as for regional peace and stability.
Theyhighlighted the importance of the ADMM+ to regional security and ASEAN’spartner countries supported the central role the bloc plays in thiscooperation mechanism.
When speaking at the meeting,General Vinh stated that, just like other members, Vietnam wantsother countries to become more involved in the region in line with theprinciple of peaceful measures, for the goal of peace, stability anddevelopment in the region. However, the cooperation must ensure ASEAN’scentral role as well as help strengthen the region’s solidarity andstability.
On regional security, Vietnam’srepresentative said that the security of the Mekong Rivers’ water is notjust an issue for the individual countries that share this vastresource, which include Vietnam, Myanmar, China, Laos, Cambodia andThailand, but is an important issue for the whole region in general.
It is not merely an environmental or economic issue but also a security issue, he added.
“Therefore, we want all the countries involved to take moreresponsibility for their actions and share the Mekong Rivers waterresources and would appreciate the international community taking moreinterest on this issue and help to address this hidden challenge,”stressed Vinh.
On maritime security, including theEast Sea , the participants emphasised the importance of maritimesafety and freedom of movement and agreed on the need to solve theEast Sea issue peacefully in line with international law. This meansabiding by the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS 1982)and other regional commitments signed by ASEAN countries and theirpartners.
Agreeing with the other delegates, thehead of Vietnam’s delegation stressed that maritime issues in generaland the East Sea issue in particular must be solved peacefully inaccordance with international laws, including the 1982 UNCLOS and theDeclaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) signed byASEAN and China in 2002, advancing towards building a Code of Conduct(COC) in the East Sea.
“When addressing the EastSea issues, all the concerned parties should abide by internationallaw and respect the interests of other countries in the region and theworld and listen to the opinions of the global community,” he said.
He added that he believed that all the countries in the region willfind a common ground to step by step solve the East Sea issue, as wellas others, to create a more peaceful and prosperous environment.
Vinh also said that over the last few years, Vietnam has made agreat deal of effort to ensure peace and stability in the East Sea ,both multilaterally and bilaterally. This was confirmed by theagreement made between Vietnam and China which was reached duringParty General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong’s visit to China in late2011.
The agreement has contributed positively toVietnam and China ’s relationship, while respecting the interestsof other ASEAN members and others by adhering to international laws andregional treaties.
On the sidelines of the ASDOM+,the Vietnamese delegation also held bilateral meetings with theChinese, Japanese and US delegations, on ways of boosting cooperation in2012.-VNA
The meeting, chaired by General Neang Phat, Secretary of State forthe Cambodian Defence Ministry brought together representatives from all10 ASEAN member countries and eight of its partners. They includedAustralia , China , India , Japan , New Zealand , the Republic ofKorea , Russia and the US .
The Vietnamese delegation was led by Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh, Deputy Minister for National Defence.
At the meeting, the participants agreed to increase the frequencyof the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM+) to every two yearsinstead of every three at present, in the interests of each nation aswell as for regional peace and stability.
Theyhighlighted the importance of the ADMM+ to regional security and ASEAN’spartner countries supported the central role the bloc plays in thiscooperation mechanism.
When speaking at the meeting,General Vinh stated that, just like other members, Vietnam wantsother countries to become more involved in the region in line with theprinciple of peaceful measures, for the goal of peace, stability anddevelopment in the region. However, the cooperation must ensure ASEAN’scentral role as well as help strengthen the region’s solidarity andstability.
On regional security, Vietnam’srepresentative said that the security of the Mekong Rivers’ water is notjust an issue for the individual countries that share this vastresource, which include Vietnam, Myanmar, China, Laos, Cambodia andThailand, but is an important issue for the whole region in general.
It is not merely an environmental or economic issue but also a security issue, he added.
“Therefore, we want all the countries involved to take moreresponsibility for their actions and share the Mekong Rivers waterresources and would appreciate the international community taking moreinterest on this issue and help to address this hidden challenge,”stressed Vinh.
On maritime security, including theEast Sea , the participants emphasised the importance of maritimesafety and freedom of movement and agreed on the need to solve theEast Sea issue peacefully in line with international law. This meansabiding by the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS 1982)and other regional commitments signed by ASEAN countries and theirpartners.
Agreeing with the other delegates, thehead of Vietnam’s delegation stressed that maritime issues in generaland the East Sea issue in particular must be solved peacefully inaccordance with international laws, including the 1982 UNCLOS and theDeclaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) signed byASEAN and China in 2002, advancing towards building a Code of Conduct(COC) in the East Sea.
“When addressing the EastSea issues, all the concerned parties should abide by internationallaw and respect the interests of other countries in the region and theworld and listen to the opinions of the global community,” he said.
He added that he believed that all the countries in the region willfind a common ground to step by step solve the East Sea issue, as wellas others, to create a more peaceful and prosperous environment.
Vinh also said that over the last few years, Vietnam has made agreat deal of effort to ensure peace and stability in the East Sea ,both multilaterally and bilaterally. This was confirmed by theagreement made between Vietnam and China which was reached duringParty General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong’s visit to China in late2011.
The agreement has contributed positively toVietnam and China ’s relationship, while respecting the interestsof other ASEAN members and others by adhering to international laws andregional treaties.
On the sidelines of the ASDOM+,the Vietnamese delegation also held bilateral meetings with theChinese, Japanese and US delegations, on ways of boosting cooperation in2012.-VNA
