Shangri-La Dialogue to mull multiple regional security issues

Hanoi (VNA) – The Shangri-La Dialogue 2018 is set to last from June 1-3 in Singapore with the participation of defence ministers and officials from 50 countries worldwide and representatives from international organisations.

Taking place ahead of the US-Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) Summit scheduled for June 12, the dialogue will concentrate on the Korean Peninsula situation, along with other issues regarding regional security.

The agenda includes five plenary sessions on US leadership and the challenges of Indo-Pacific security, de-escalating the crisis in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, shaping new dimensions of terrorism and counter-terrorism and raising the bar for regional security co-operation. 

The event also features several sessions covering such issues as new strategic technologies and the future of conflict, maritime security enhancement, strategic implications of military capability development in the Asia-Pacific and the management of competition in regional security cooperation.

US Defence Minister James Mattis will deliver a speech on the US leadership in the Indo-Pacific region. Apart from the DPRK issue, Mattis will speak of the US’s viewpoints on an array of regional matters.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will present a keynote speech at the dialogue, mentioning New Delhi’s role in shaping the regional order amidst global uncertainties. This is a first time an Indian Prime Minister has attended the Shangri-La Dialogue.

The Vietnamese delegation to the dialogue is led by Defence Minister Ngo Xuan Lich, who will address the third plenary session, focusing on changing security order in Asia.

Vietnam has been invited to attend the dialogue since the first editions.

This is the fourth time a Vietnamese Defence Minister has participated in the event, reflecting the country’s goodwill and wish to promote friendship and cooperation, and share experience with other countries in resolving common security challenges, thus building trust as a foundation to enhance cooperation for peace and development.

This is a good opportunity for Vietnam to voice its views on regional security issues relating to national legitimate interests, towards peaceful settlement of disputes in line with international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Convened by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, the Shangri-La Dialogue is the most important regular gathering of defence professionals in Asia-Pacific, a vital annual fixture in the diaries of ministers and their civilian and military chiefs of staff. 

Since its launch in 2002, the dialogue has built confidence and fostered security ties by facilitating easy communication among the region’s most important defence and security policymakers. -VNA