Hanoi (VNA) - The ASEAN Defence Senior Officials’ Meeting (ADSOM)was held via video conferencing on November 17 under the chair of DeputyDefence Minister and head of ADSOM Vietnam, Sen. Lieut. Gen. Nguyen Chi Vinh.
The meeting aimed at boosting practical defencecooperation between ASEAN countries, and preparing for the 14th ASEANDefence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) and the 7th ADMM Plus.
Vinh said COVID-19 has caused major socio-economiclosses in every country, but with a “cohesive and responsive” spirit, ASEANmembers have maintained multilateral cooperation, as reflected through a widerange of political, diplomatic, economic, and defence events, with the 37th ASEANSummit and Related Meetings being a highlight.
Speaking about the outcomes of the ASEAN DefenceSenior Officials’ Meeting Working Group (ADSOM WG), Vinh affirmed that allASEAN defence cooperation activities in 2020 were organised successfully, thoughcountry representatives did not meet in person.
Defence collaboration within the bloc has contributedactively to the fight against the pandemic, he affirmed.
He also announced that ADMM-14 and the 7th ADMM Pluswill be held online before the end of the year.
ASEAN Deputy General Secretary Hoang Anh Tuan andother delegates at the meeting said that under Vietnam’s lead as ASEAN Chair,the bloc posted a host of achievements amid the COVID-19 outbreak, includingimportant contributions to defence cooperation.
He affirmed that the ASEAN Secretariat will continuesupporting Vietnam’s Defence Ministry in fulfilling its tasks this year as ADMMand ADMM Plus Chair.
Participants also exchanged views regarding documentson new concepts and the standard operations of ADMM, a three-year operationalplan for ADMM during 2020-2022, and draft declarations of the 14th ADMMand the 7th ADMM Plus, as well as preparations for the twomeetings./.
VNA