A Vietnamese military delegation led by Deputy Minister of Defence Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh arrived in Singapore on May 30 to attend the 12th Asia Security Summit (or Shangri-La Dialogue).

During his stay in Singapore, from May 30 to June 2, Deputy Minister Vinh will attend opening and plenary sessions within the Dialogue’s framework. He is scheduled to take part in activities led by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung including talks with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, a meeting with President Tony Tan and working sessions with Singaporean leading businesses.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung will deliver a keynote address at the opening session on May 31.

Deputy Minister Vinh is scheduled to deliver a speech at a plenary session on June 2, have bilateral meetings with Defence Ministers of Malaysia, New Zealand, Australia and France, and meet with Deputy Defence Ministers of Singapore, Brunei, Russia, the Republic of Korea, and the Commander of the US Pacific Command.

Convened by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), the Shangri-La Dialogue is the key forum for the discussion and analysis of defence and security issues in the region and beyond.

According to the IISS, 31 countries are represented at this year’s Dialogue, namely Australia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, Canada, China, Columbia, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Pakistan, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Thailand, Timor-Leste, UAE, the UK, the US, and Vietnam.

The agenda includes five plenary sessions on US approach to regional security; defending national interests, preventing conflict; military modernisation and strategic transparency; new trends in Asia-Pacific security; and advancing defence cooperation in the Asia Pacific.

US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel; Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the People’s Liberation Army of China Lieutenant General Qi Jianguo; High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy for the European Union Catherine Ashton will speak in the plenary sessions, among others.

The Dialogue will also host six special sessions on avoiding incidents at sea; Afghan drawdown and regional security; missile defence in the Asia-Pacific; new military technologies and doctrines; defence diplomacy and conflict prevention; and cyber dimension to Asian security.-VNA