Addressing the event, General Lich expressed his thanks for the support of the defense ministries of the ADMM-Plus countries and the ASEAN Secretariat to Vietnam during its 2020 ASEAN Chairmanship Year. He underlined that members of ADMM-Plus have implemented numerous initiatives and actively responded to the COVID-19 pandemic by organizing military-defense conferences via digital platforms.
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The 7th ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting Plus was held virtually on December 10. |
The delegates highly appreciated Vietnam's efforts in promptly adapting to the complicated developments of the COVID-19 pandemic, actively implementing the set priorities and initiatives in the 2020 ASEAN Chairmanship Year. In particular, the country has successfully held ASEAN military-defense meetings over the past year in a secure, safe and efficient manner. They highlighted that Vietnam has promptly proposed and conducted many disease prevention and control measures as well as carried out cooperative activities within the framework of ADMM-Plus.
The head delegates emphasized that ADMM-Plus countries have continued to strengthen cooperation amid the COVID-19 pandemic, contributing to building a cohesive and responsive ASEAN that is in the process of adapting to geostrategic shifts and geopolitics through strengthening defense cooperation between ASEAN member countries as well as dialogue partners.
They spoke highly of the development of ADMM-Plus over the past ten years, including the annualization of ADMM-Plus and the increase of ADMM-Plus Expert Groups from 5 to 7, thereby contributing to enhancing capacity and collaboration in joint activities among ADMM-Plus member countries to respond to security threats for the common benefit of the region.
Discussing the global and regional situation, they shared the view that the region is now facing a number of both traditional and non-traditional challenges, such as those relating to maritime security, cyber security, terrorism, trans-national crime, climate change, and epidemics, which jeopardize regional peace and stability.
They voiced support for the maintenance of peace, stability, security, safety, and freedom of navigation in the East Sea, along with the peaceful settlement of disputes and differences on the basis of international law, especially the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
The countries agreed to continue bolstering defense cooperation within the regional architecture, with ASEAN at the center, so as to build trust and boost capacity to better respond to common security threats in the region, thus facilitating regional peace, stability, and development, the achievement of ASEAN Community building targets, and enhancement of the bloc’s centrality in the region and the world.
At the meeting, members of ADMM-Plus adopted and signed a joint declaration on ADMM-Plus’s strategic security vision.
In his closing remarks, General Lich stressed the significance of the joint declaration, which displays the solidarity, commitments and determination of the ADMM-Plus countries in enhancing defense cooperation, contributing to peace, stability and development in the region and the world.
At the end of the meeting, Vietnam handed over the Chairmanship of the ADMM and ADMM Plus to Brunei, the Chair of ASEAN in 2021.
* Prior to the 7th ADMM-Plus, the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense held a virtual ceremony marking the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the ADMM-Plus under the chair of Defense Minister General Ngo Xuan Lich.
Translated by Trung Thanh