Themed "Conflicts’ impacts on the region and role of the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting (ADMM) and the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting Plus (ADMM+) in conflict prevention and mitigation," the seminar was organized by the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.

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Delegates at the event

The Vietnamese delegation, led by Major General Tran Minh Tuan, Deputy Director of the Institute for Defense Strategy, attended the event.

In their opening remarks, Ambassador Ong Keng Yong, Executive Deputy Chairman of RSIS and Elizabeth Tan, Director of the Defense Policy Office under Defense Policy Group of Ministry of National Defense of Singapore, highlighted the significance of the seminar. The event was held at a time when ASEAN is in the process of completing the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 and looking towards the ASEAN Community Vision 2045. Furthermore, the increasing tensions both inside and outside the region have revealed the urgency for ASEAN to discuss measures for conflict prevention and mitigation.

Elizabeth Tan underscored that ASEAN countries should team up with each other to protect the shared interests of the region, prevent conflicts from occurring or spreading to the region, and ensure the unity and resilience of ASEAN amid such conflicts. Delegates featured the role of ASEAN, in which ADMM/ADMM+ is an essential platform for dialogue, cooperation and stability in the region.

The representative of the Vietnamese delegation affirmed that the Southeast Asian region and ASEAN play an increasingly important role in the security and development of many countries in the region and beyond, becoming the focus for participation, influence and competition among major powers. The current security environment in Southeast Asia is stable; however, there have remain hotspots and non-traditional security challenges that can lead to conflicts. ADMM/ADMM+ must continue to be a key cooperation mechanism to prevent and control conflicts via promoting dialogue, trust, transparency in defense policy and practical activities such as education, training, information sharing, to name but a few.

Amid the changes in political and security situations, ADMM/ADMM+ should further enhance its role in regional conflict prevention and mitigation; promote trust and mutual understanding among ASEAN militaries and their partners, including boosting effective and substantive cooperation in addressing common security challenges in the region, especially non-traditional challenges, calling on other countries to comply with the 1972 Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGs) and Guidelines for Air Military Encounters (GAME); among others,

Meanwhile, delegates also discussed ways for ADMM/ADMM+ to cooperate with multilateral sub-groups without conflicting with ASEAN's interests. Regarding climate change, ADMM/ADMM+ can cooperate and share information with local authorities as they are often the first to respond to climate-induced humanitarian crises. ASEAN can also initiate discussions on the legal impact of climate change on the sovereign rights of coastal countries.

Senior Colonel Chu Van Loc from Institute for Defense Strategy

Translated by Song Anh