The Vietnamese delegation to the meeting was led by Lt. Gen. Vu Chien Thang, Director of the Foreign Relations Department under the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense and Head of Vietnam’s ADSOM+ WG.

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Lt. Gen. Vu Chien Thang, Director of the Foreign Relations Department under the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense and Head of Vietnam’s ADSOM+ WG, takes part in the event.

The event was attended by heads of ADSOM+ WG of ASEAN members and partner countries, including Russia, China, the U.S., the Republic of Korea, Australia, New Zealand, and India and representatives of the ASEAN Secretariat.

Speaking at the conference, the Head of Brunei’s ADSOM+ WG expressed his sympathy to ADSOM+ WG’s participating countries over their losses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and natural disasters in 2020.

He hoped that the spirit of “Conhensive and Responsive”, that has been promoted during Vietnam’s 2020 ASEAN Chairmanship Year, will be further enhanced in Bruinei’s 2021 ASEAN Chairmanship Year. He also hoped that the ADSOM+ WG will contribute to enhancing mutual  understanding and practical defense cooperation between ASEAN members and partners within the framework of the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM+).

At the event, delegates discussed the draft document of the ADMM+ Joint Declaration, the operations of ADMM+ experts' working group for the 2021-2023 tenure that has been approved at the ASEAN Defence Senior Officials' Meeting Plus (ADSOM+) in November 2020, and Bruinei’s preparations for the ADSOM+ and ADMM+ which will both take place during its 2021 ASEAN Chairmanship Year.

Addressing the conference, Lt. Gen. Vu Chien Thang recalled outcomes of multilateral defense activities during Vietnam’s 2020 ASEAN Chairmanship Year such as the ASEAN Peacekeeping Centers Network (APCN) and the Vietnam International Defense Expo 2020.

Translated by Song Anh