ANCM-5 to promote practical cooperation among ASEAN navies

PANO - The fifth ASEAN Naval Chiefs’ Meeting (ANCM-5), to take place in Hanoi from July 26^th to 29^th, aims to promote ASEAN navies’ practical cooperation in dealing with security challenges emerging in the region.

Rear Admiral Pham Ngoc Chan, Political Director of Vietnam People’s Army Naval Service unveiled in a press conference held on July 18^th in Hanoi that the ANCM was part of three important meetings of the Navy, Army and Air Force in the framework of ASEAM military cooperation implemented within ASEAN.

Press conference to introduce ANCM-5

This is the first time Vietnam will host such a meeting after its successful organization of the 7^th ASEAN Air Chiefs Conference in 2010, the 7^th ASEAN Chiefs of Armies Multilateral Meeting in 2006 and the first ASEAN Chiefs of Military Medicine Conference in 2011.

Chiefs of Naval Forces from the nine ASEAN countries of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam will participate in the meeting. Laos, a mainland country without a naval force, sends its defence attaché to the meeting as an observer.

Themed “ASEAN Naval Cooperation for Peace and Sea Security”, ANCM-5 will focus on two contents, including (1) exchange and share viewpoints on current regional security situations, the role and cooperation measures among navies to cope with regional security challenges in the coming time; (2) discuss two documents relating to Vietnam’s initiatives of “Orientation in ASEAN Navies’ Cooperation” and “Exchange among young naval ASEAN officers”.

Besides, participants would register cooperation activities that they could chair in 2011-2012. The host Vietnam volunteers to host the first exchange among young naval ASEAN officers, expected to take place in the first quarter of 2012.

Moreover, participants will also visit Vietnam Military History Museum, Temple of Literature, Museum of Navy and Unit 679 under the Naval Service.

Bilateral meetings between the host and each ASEAN delegation will be held as well in order to enhance the mutual understanding and discuss bilateral naval cooperation.