Deputy Minister of National Defence Lieut. Sen. Gen. Hoang Xuan Chien speaks at the meeting (Photo: VNA) Jakarta (VNA) – A Vietnamese delegation led by Deputy Minister of National DefenceLieut. Sen. Gen. Hoang Xuan Chien attended the ASEAN Defence Senior Officials'Meeting Plus (ADSOM+) in Jakarta, Indonesia on August 3, with 10 ASEAN memberstates and 8 dialogue partner countries taking part.
In hiskeynote speech, Deputy Minister Chien said the region and the world are facing a seriesof security challenges, both traditional and non-traditional, notably those concerningmaritime security. These challenges are occurring in many places and cause severeconsequences that go beyond the capacity of a single nation to handle, thus requiringthe international community to join hands to address them.
About maritime security, he stressed that the East Sea is avital maritime route for global and regional trade so that peace, stability andsecurity in the region are of utmost importance.
Vietnam always follows the principle of settling disputesand differences in the East Sea through peaceful means, based on respect forindependence, sovereignty, and legitimate interests of nations, and compliancewith international law, he said.
He underlined the significance of strengthening collectiveefforts to ensure the maintenance of international law and principles ininternational relations, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on theLaw of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the full implementation of the Declaration on theConduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC). He also emphasised the need topromptly conclude negotiations and sign an effective and substantive Code ofConduct in the East Sea (COC) in line with international law.
According to him, ASEAN's defence cooperation with itspartners has been growing and becoming stronger. He heightened the importanceof building trust, goodwill, transparency and working together to addresscommon challenges in order to build a robust ASEAN community and upholdASEAN's central role.
On the sidelines of the ADSOM and ADSOM+ , Chien heldbilateral meetings with heads of delegations of the host country Indonesia,Japan and Australia. He also met bilaterally with heads of delegations ofChina, Russia, India, Cambodia, Thailand and Malaysia. These meetings aimed todiscuss and promote the implementation of important defence-related matters,especially high-level exchange activities, policy dialogues, and defencestrategy.
The discussions covered various topics, including importantevents related to defence and security, such as multilateral and bilateralforums and conferences. The bilateral meetings and engagements played asignificant role in enhancing political trust, goodwill and cooperation betweenVietnam and its partners in an effective and practical manner./.
