ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting concluded successfully

(Bqp.vn) - The 14th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM-14) chaired by General Ngo Xuan Lich, Minister of National Defence of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam was successfully cocluded on December 9.

At the event, Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh, Deputy Defence Minister reported participants on the outcomes of the ASEAN Defence Senior Officials’ Meeting (ADSOM) held in Vietnam.

General Ngo Xuan Lich delivering the opening remarks.

Speaking at the meeting, General Ngo Xuan Lich thanked ASEAN Defence Ministries and ASEAN Secretariat for their supports to Vietnam in the 2020 ASEAN Chairmanship, expressing a strong belief that the conducting of the virtual ADMM Meeting does not affect the quality of the cooperation, but showing ASEAN’s timely and proactive response to the new context.

He emphasized that in the complicated context that COVID-19 and natural disasters, the dangers of terrorism, transnational crimes, maritime security, cyber security and water source security, etc still linger, ASEAN has shown the spirit of “cohesiveness” and “responsiveness” in accordance with the ASEAN 2020 theme. Accordingly, ASEAN cooperation, especially in the field of the prevention of COVID-19 has been vigorously boosted with such initiatives as the COVID-19 ASEAN Response Fund, ASEAN Regional Reserve of Medical Supplies, ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework adopted at the 37th ASEAN Summit. ASEAN Defence Cooperation continues to be preserved through the creative utilisation of the digital platforms for communications and virtual meetings. On the basis of the Joint Statement by the ASEAN Defence Ministers on defence cooperation against disease outbreaks in February 2020, ASEAN Militaries have boosted the cooperation for the COVID-19 prevention through information and experience sharing, provision of medical supplies, cooperation in cross-border controlling, developing test kits and vaccine, and the successful organization of the ASEAN Military Medicine’s virtual situational exercise for COVID-19 prevention.

Participants attending the ADMM-14 online.

Participants highly appreciated Vietnam’s proactive, thorough and effective preparation for the 2020 ASEAN Chairmanship. Despite the complicated situation of COVID-19, Vietnam has proactively and timely adapted to the new situation, actively implemented the priorities and initiatives as planned, of which military-defence conferences have been successfully conducted for the past time with great security, safety and effectiveness; timely made proposals and carried out numerous of initiatives for the prevention and control of the pandemic as well as implemented other cooperative activities within the ASEAN military-defence cooperation framework. They also spoke highly of the effective and timely cooperation among ASEAN militaries in response to COVID-19 pandemic.

The delegation leaders affirmed that with the innate strength of each nation and the close coordination among members, ASEAN Member States have actively conducted effective cooperation, with the determination of not letting the pandemic affect ASEAN defence cooperation, thus, enhancing the mutual trust and understanding, making contributions to preserving the regional peace and stability and maintaining the cooperation efforts and the centrality in the ASEAN-led mechanisms.

During the ADMM-14 in Hanoi, Vietnam.

They agreed that ASEAN Member States, in the coming time, need to boost the ASEAN cohesiveness and responsiveness in adapting to geopolitical and geostrategic shifts through strengthening defence cooperation among ASEAN Member States as well as with the Plus Countries in response to the traditional and non-traditional security challenges, for peace, stability and development in the region, and the enhancement of the ASEAN centrality regionally and globally.

At the meeting, participants adopted New ADMM Concept Papers and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), the ADMM Three-Year Work Programme 2020-2022, the Joint Declaration of the ASEAN Defence Ministers on Defence Cooperation for a Cohesive and Responsive ASEAN, and Preparation for the 7th ADMM-Plus.