The First ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting Plus (ADMM+) opened in Hanoi on October 12, promoting dialogue and cooperation to maintain peace and stability in the region.
Themed “ADMM+: Strategic Cooperation for Peace, Stability and Development in the Region”, the meeting has drawn defence ministers or representatives from the 10 ASEAN member countries and eight partners, namelyChina, Japan, the Republic of Korea, India, New Zealand, Australia, Russia and the United States.
Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung delivered a speech, underlining the significance of the first ADMM+.
“The meeting is a new step-forward in ASEAN's defence cooperation and is another important event in the year that Vietnam holds the ASEAN Chair,” he said.
He said the meeting would try to reach a consensus on how to develop the forum, particularly areas of cooperation and operational principles to help joint efforts to deal with traditional and non-traditional security challenges such as terrorism, maritime security and safety, transnational crimes and natural disasters.
“Maintaining peace and stability in the region is the aspiration of every country in and outside the region,” said the PM.
To turns these goals into reality, PM Dung urged countries to step up talks and cooperation to build confidence and mutual trust and to come up with rules of conduct. Particularly important is respect for the independence and sovereignty of each nation and dealing with disputes in a peaceful manner in accordance with international laws, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
He also asked those attending to continue promoting ways of maintaining peace and security in ASEAN, pointing out the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC), the Treaty for a Southeast Asian Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ), the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), the ASEAN Treaty on Anti-Terrorism Measures and other joint declarations between ASEAN and its partners.
In his opening speech, Vietnamese Defence Minister General Phung Quang Thanh, who is also chair of ADMM+, stressed the strategic significance of a defence cooperation mechanism in ADMM+.
“Firstly, this is one of the forum that will help to build a common awareness of regional security, to identify areas of cooperation in defence that are practical.”
ADMM+ is the highest level forum on defence in the region, he said, adding that it is also a level playing field, which benefits all participating parties, while harmonising relations, increasing capacity and strengthening ties and exchanges between the armed forces of all the countries involved.
After the opening session, the forum was presented with the ASEAN General Secretary’s update on ASEAN development, a presentation on the progress of ASEAN defence-military cooperation towards a goal of an ASEAN Politics-Security Community.
They discussed defence-related issues, the prospects and directions for future cooperation in the framework of ADMM+ and adopted the meeting’s joint statement./.
Themed “ADMM+: Strategic Cooperation for Peace, Stability and Development in the Region”, the meeting has drawn defence ministers or representatives from the 10 ASEAN member countries and eight partners, namelyChina, Japan, the Republic of Korea, India, New Zealand, Australia, Russia and the United States.
Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung delivered a speech, underlining the significance of the first ADMM+.
“The meeting is a new step-forward in ASEAN's defence cooperation and is another important event in the year that Vietnam holds the ASEAN Chair,” he said.
He said the meeting would try to reach a consensus on how to develop the forum, particularly areas of cooperation and operational principles to help joint efforts to deal with traditional and non-traditional security challenges such as terrorism, maritime security and safety, transnational crimes and natural disasters.
“Maintaining peace and stability in the region is the aspiration of every country in and outside the region,” said the PM.
To turns these goals into reality, PM Dung urged countries to step up talks and cooperation to build confidence and mutual trust and to come up with rules of conduct. Particularly important is respect for the independence and sovereignty of each nation and dealing with disputes in a peaceful manner in accordance with international laws, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
He also asked those attending to continue promoting ways of maintaining peace and security in ASEAN, pointing out the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC), the Treaty for a Southeast Asian Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ), the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), the ASEAN Treaty on Anti-Terrorism Measures and other joint declarations between ASEAN and its partners.
In his opening speech, Vietnamese Defence Minister General Phung Quang Thanh, who is also chair of ADMM+, stressed the strategic significance of a defence cooperation mechanism in ADMM+.
“Firstly, this is one of the forum that will help to build a common awareness of regional security, to identify areas of cooperation in defence that are practical.”
ADMM+ is the highest level forum on defence in the region, he said, adding that it is also a level playing field, which benefits all participating parties, while harmonising relations, increasing capacity and strengthening ties and exchanges between the armed forces of all the countries involved.
After the opening session, the forum was presented with the ASEAN General Secretary’s update on ASEAN development, a presentation on the progress of ASEAN defence-military cooperation towards a goal of an ASEAN Politics-Security Community.
They discussed defence-related issues, the prospects and directions for future cooperation in the framework of ADMM+ and adopted the meeting’s joint statement./.
