Vietnam has shown its support for Cambodia ’s initiative to build aconflict-free ASEAN region and a statement on plans to integrate ASEAN’ssecurity.
On addressing the sixth ASEAN Defence Ministers’Meeting (ADMM-6) in Phnom Penh on May 29, Vietnam ’s DefenceMinister General Phung Quang Thanh called on all ASEAN countries tomaintain an environment of peace, stability, cooperation anddevelopment in order to establish the Political-Security Community by2015.
To realise this target, all parties must keep calm andrestrained and hold talks to solve disputes at sea by adhering tointernational laws, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of theSea (UNCLOS), said Minister Thanh.
All parties need to stick tothe Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), signedbetween ASEAN and China , and work towards a Code of Conduct (COC).
Hestressed that Vietnam ’s viewpoint is solving bilateral disputesthrough bilateral talks and disputes involving many countries, manysides should be dealt with multilaterally, to find an acceptablesolution for every party concerned.
The region’s countries alsoneed to build up trust and prevent conflicts by increasing bilateral andmultilateral cooperation in defence in the framework of the ADMM andADMM Plus mechanisms.
He said that border and territorialdisputes in the region and sovereignty claims in the East Sea arevery complex and could lead to armed conflict if the concerned partiesdo not try to restrain themselves.
“The dispute over sovereigntyin the East Sea is a fact that we don’t need to avoid, because ithappened within the Southeast Asian region, and the dispute occurredbetween ASEAN countries themselves and between several ASEAN countriesand an outside country,” said the minister.
According to Thanh,although at times there are complicated disputes at sea between Vietnamand China, defence-military exchanges and cooperation between the twocountries, as well as the relations between the two defence ministries,the two General Staffs, their Navies and Border Guard forces remain verygood.
“It can be said that the current Vietnam-Chinarelationship is one of solidarity, friendship and multi-facetedcooperation, which helps socio-economic development and maintainssocio-politic stability in each country. The maritime dispute is theonly contentious issue that exists in Vietnamese-Chinese relations atpresent,” Thanh said.
Minister Thanh also underlined Vietnam’s assessment and viewpoint on defence and security issues in region andaround the world.
He noted that in general, the region is still apeaceful stable environment, but there are implicit security risks andthreats, including non-traditional security issues.
The one-dayADMM 6 concluded in Phnom Penh on May 29 with the announcement of apaper reviewing the frequency of ASEAN Defence Ministers' Plus meetings(ADMM+) and a joint statement on enhancing ASEAN unity for a harmonisedand secure community.
The statement confirmed ASEAN membercountries’ commitment to implementing the DOC towards the COC andstressed the importance of maritime freedom in the East Sea inaccordance with international laws, including 1982 UNCLOS.
TheADMM, first held in 2006 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, focuses on defencein the group, which consists of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos,Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
On addressing the sixth ASEAN Defence Ministers’Meeting (ADMM-6) in Phnom Penh on May 29, Vietnam ’s DefenceMinister General Phung Quang Thanh called on all ASEAN countries tomaintain an environment of peace, stability, cooperation anddevelopment in order to establish the Political-Security Community by2015.
To realise this target, all parties must keep calm andrestrained and hold talks to solve disputes at sea by adhering tointernational laws, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of theSea (UNCLOS), said Minister Thanh.
All parties need to stick tothe Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), signedbetween ASEAN and China , and work towards a Code of Conduct (COC).
Hestressed that Vietnam ’s viewpoint is solving bilateral disputesthrough bilateral talks and disputes involving many countries, manysides should be dealt with multilaterally, to find an acceptablesolution for every party concerned.
The region’s countries alsoneed to build up trust and prevent conflicts by increasing bilateral andmultilateral cooperation in defence in the framework of the ADMM andADMM Plus mechanisms.
He said that border and territorialdisputes in the region and sovereignty claims in the East Sea arevery complex and could lead to armed conflict if the concerned partiesdo not try to restrain themselves.
“The dispute over sovereigntyin the East Sea is a fact that we don’t need to avoid, because ithappened within the Southeast Asian region, and the dispute occurredbetween ASEAN countries themselves and between several ASEAN countriesand an outside country,” said the minister.
According to Thanh,although at times there are complicated disputes at sea between Vietnamand China, defence-military exchanges and cooperation between the twocountries, as well as the relations between the two defence ministries,the two General Staffs, their Navies and Border Guard forces remain verygood.
“It can be said that the current Vietnam-Chinarelationship is one of solidarity, friendship and multi-facetedcooperation, which helps socio-economic development and maintainssocio-politic stability in each country. The maritime dispute is theonly contentious issue that exists in Vietnamese-Chinese relations atpresent,” Thanh said.
Minister Thanh also underlined Vietnam’s assessment and viewpoint on defence and security issues in region andaround the world.
He noted that in general, the region is still apeaceful stable environment, but there are implicit security risks andthreats, including non-traditional security issues.
The one-dayADMM 6 concluded in Phnom Penh on May 29 with the announcement of apaper reviewing the frequency of ASEAN Defence Ministers' Plus meetings(ADMM+) and a joint statement on enhancing ASEAN unity for a harmonisedand secure community.
The statement confirmed ASEAN membercountries’ commitment to implementing the DOC towards the COC andstressed the importance of maritime freedom in the East Sea inaccordance with international laws, including 1982 UNCLOS.
TheADMM, first held in 2006 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, focuses on defencein the group, which consists of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos,Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
