Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh, member of the Party Central Committee, permanent member of the Central Military Commission, and Deputy-Minister of Defense, attended the event.
The forum has three key sessions; the 50th anniversary of the ASEAN: enhanced achievements and solidarity; regional security; and Vientiane Vision document: facts and prospects.
Speaking at the first session, Gen. Vinh held that over the last 50 years, the ASEAN has gained outstanding achievements in politics-security, economy, and culture-society. Vietnam has joined hands with other ASEAN member countries in building a strong, united, and identity-rich ASEAN Community, which is the regional and global hub. Many cooperation mechanisms within the ASEAN framework strongly show Vietnam’s contribution such as the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting Plus (ADMM+). However, the room for ASEAN development is vast so that the member countries need to strengthen solidarity and unanimity on the consensus principle, based on international law, the ASEAN Charter and internationally-recognized values.
Gen. Vinh stressed that emerging regional and global security challenges require the ASEAN nations to have a new approach and a thorough viewpoint for further development. Each ASEAN country has its own difficulties and they need to join hands to address those problems, putting aside their own interests to overcome differences and reach consensus for the sake of the entire community.
Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh (centre) speaking at 9th ASEAN–Japan Deputy-Defense Ministerial Forum
The Vietnamese Deputy-Defense Minister suggested that the ASEAN should set standards to reach, including practical and effective cooperation. He said that Vietnam not only needs cooperation and assistance from the international community and other ASEAN countries, but is also ready to share experiences in clearing explosive remnants of war, settling other war legacies, search and rescue, and military medicine because Vietnam is the most war-torn country.
Also relating to practical and effective cooperation, the Vietnamese general held that the ADMM+ cooperation mechanism should soon institutionalize such issues as new member admission, observer countries, or whether the ADMM+ should be organized annually and establish its assistance agency to update ASEAN developments to the ADMM+ member countries. He also noted that within the ADMM+ structure, the responsibilities of major countries should be considered.
Gen. Vinh hailed Japan’s efforts in organizing the ASEAN-Japan Defense Vice-Ministerial Forum and for actively participating in regional and international security issues. He expressed his hope that at the 10th founding anniversary of ADMM+ to be held in Vietnam in 2020, fundamental issues will be solved so that the ADMM+ will be an equal and responsible structure benefiting each country while maintaining peace and stability in the region and the world.
Addressing the second session on maritime security, a Japanese delegate voiced concern over marine security challenges, especially island reinforcement and structure building in the East Sea that unilaterally alters the status quo and counters to international law. The Japanese delegate said that Japan consistently opposes these actions and hopes that ASEAN member countries will be united to raise their common voice in related issues and soon agree on a practical and effective Code of Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (COC).
Earlier, on September 12 on the sideline of the forum, Gen. Vinh had a bilateral meeting with his Japanese counterpart.
Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh (left) and Japanese Deputy Defense Minister Ro Manabe
At the meeting, Japanese Deputy Defense Minister Ro Manabe spoke highly of the positive development steps in defense cooperation between Japan and the ASEAN countries, including that with Vietnam. He recommended that at the ADMM+ this October, Japan proposes to organize an informal meeting between Japanese and ASEAN Defense Ministers to augment friendship cooperation relations and offer an opportunity for the new Japanese Minister of Defense to familiarize with his ASEAN counterparts.
The Japanese Deputy-Minister said that his country pays due attention to the COC negotiation between China and the ASEAN countries. He held that the COC should be practical and legally-bided.
Japan wants to cooperate with Vietnam to maintain peace, stability, and maritime security in the East Sea, he added.
Gen. Vinh said that he would report to the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense about Japan’s proposal to organize the informal meeting and reiterated that such a meeting should base on the ASEAN consensus principle.
He resonated with his Japanese counterpart that the COC should be practical, basing on international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982 (UNCLOS 1982), and legally bided.
The Vietnamese general stressed that Vietnam does not accept the “new status” in the East Sea which is caused by land reclamation, reinforcement, and militarization of rocks and features in the area.
Relating to the Korean peninsula, Gen. Vinh reaffirmed Vietnam’s position to support denuclearization on the peninsula and settle issues by peaceful measures and in strict observation of international law.
Translated by Nam Long