Defence Minister, General Ngo Xuan Lich, speaks at the event. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – The Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence on December 9 organised the “Guest of the Chair” programme on December 9 in the form of a teleconference.
The programme, held on the sidelines of the 14th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) and the seventh ADMM Plus, saw the attendance of ministers and representatives from defence ministries of ASEAN member countries, and the UK, Germany, Canada, and France, among others.
This is the first time the meeting has been convened through the defence channel, said Vietnamese Defence Minister, General Ngo Xuan Lich, in his opening remarks.
Reviewing the formation and development of ADMM, the minister said the mechanism has created a framework for dialogues and consultations on strategic defence and security issues at the defence ministerial level, thus laying a foundation to reinforce practical cooperation among armies of the ASEAN countries.
Meanwhile, ADMM Plus (Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Russia and the US) aims to intensify peace, stability and development in the region through dialogues, and build capacity to respond to common security challenges, he said.
Over the past time, more friends and dialogue partners of ASEAN have expressed their wish to join the efforts in promoting regional security and stability through cooperation programmes within ADMM Plus, according to the minister.
Participants spoke highly of Vietnam’s initiative to organise the event, considering this a good opportunity for ASEAN and its partners to understand each other more./.
VNA
