ASEAN Defense SOM Working Group meeting opens

Lt. Gen. Vu Chien Thang chairs the meeting

This was the first meeting among the military-defense events to be hosted by Vietnam as the ASEAN Chair in 2020.

During the meeting, the participants reviewed the defense cooperation among ASEAN states and the implementation of the initiatives proposed at the previous meeting. They also discussed new ASEAN’s initiatives, a three-year operation plan of the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting and agendas for the 14th ADMM and 7th ADMM Plus.

In his speech, Lieutenant General Vu Chien Thang, Director of the Foreign Relations of the Vietnamese Defense Ministry and President of the meeting said that Vietnam set specific targets for defense cooperation in 2020. Particularly, Vietnam will promote solidarity and consensus and ASEAN’ central role through consultations, exchange of views and effective coordination within the ADMM’s cooperation mechanism.

Head delegates and ASEAN Secretariat's representative in a joint photo

General Thang hoped that a joint statement on Asia-Pacific Strategic Security Vision will be issued during the ADMM-Plus. He also proposed that ASEAN states’ peacekeepers at UN peacekeeping missions while hoisting their national flags also raise and the ASEAN flag to boost the bloc’s defense cooperation.

General Thang emphasized that Vietnam wishes to receive more supports from other ASEAN member states during Vietnam’s ASEAN Chairmanship Year 2020.

At the meeting, all head delegates showed strong support for Vietnam, and they pledged to join Vietnam’s effort to successfully organize all regional military-defense events and bring the ADMM and ADMM Plus cooperation mechanisms to a new height.

Translated by Mai Huong