The General, who is also a member of the Politburo and Deputy Secretary of the Central Military Commission, made the speech on April 5 at the conference’s fourth plenary session themed “Asia: Regional Security Aspects.”
Minister Ngo Xuan Lich congratulated Russia on its successful presidential election, and supported and highly appreciated countries’ cooperation results on counter-terrorism in the Middle East, in which Russia played an important role.
    |
 |
|
Vietnamese Minister of National Defense Ngo Xuan Lich (third from left) at the seventh Moscow Conference on International Security |
The Vietnamese defense minister held that the Asia Pacific continues to be a driving force of global growth, a pioneer in economic linkage, and the hub of global strategy where major powers’ interests are intertwined. However, according to the Minister, the region has potentials of instability with issues of global characteristics, including traditional and non-traditional challenges, such as the nuclear issue in the Korean peninsula, sovereignty disputes at sea, weapons of mass destruction, ethnic and religious conflicts, terrorism, cyber security, natural disasters, epidemics, security, safety, freedom of navigation and overflight, negative effects of Industry 4.0 and hi-tech weapons, to name but some.
According to the Vietnamese General, despite these negative issues there are also reasons to be optimistic about positive things which may be brought about by the trends in cooperation, multi-sector and multi-level connections, including bilateral and multilateral ones that are taking place dynamically.
The minister attached importance to the multilateral cooperation mechanism on defense and security with different sizes and levels, established to mobilize collective strength to cope with and solve common challenges. Therefore, each separate effort of a single nation cannot solve the challenges but the region as a whole must cooperate and join efforts, in which the militaries continue to play a core role.
Minister Ngo Xuan Lich said that, as a country that has interests and an important role in the Asia Pacific, Russia has been increasingly engaged extensively and intensively in and has contributed more to the regional security mechanism.
Vietnam believes in and highly appreciates Russia’s contributions to peace and stability in the region recently, especially within the framework of the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting Plus (ADMM+), said Minister Ngo Xuan Lich.
|
|
 |
|
General Ngo Xuan Lich delivers a speech at the conference’s fourth plenary session. |
He also expected that Russia would further promote its role in the Asia Pacific and cooperation and friendship with the ASEAN member states, and become a positive factor together with the ASEAN to maintain the regional balance, prevent conflicts and wars, reduce arm races, contributing to maintaining a peaceful environment and ensuring security and stability in the region.
The Vietnamese minister reiterated that Vietnam is consistent with an independent foreign policy with multilateralization and diversification of international relations, and is a reliable friend of every country as well as a responsible member of the international community. He said that Vietnam plans to settle disputes, including those in the East Sea (South China Sea), by peaceful means on the basis of international law and regional commitments.
“With that guideline, the Vietnam People’s Army always participates actively and responsibly in joint activities in the region. We are proactively taking part in the United Nations Peacekeeping Operations, deploying a level-2 field hospital and an engineering unit to the UN missions, suitable to the desire to contribute to bringing about a peaceful life for people in war-torn areas,” said the Vietnamese Defense Minister.
The minister shared that in 2020 Vietnam will chair the ASEAN and this is also an occasion to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the ADMM+ mechanism. Over years, the ADMM+ has been proven to be an important mechanism, led by the ASEAN, in which countries inside and outside the region get together to share their viewpoints in security issues of mutual concern to find common voices and thrive towards collective actions to settle common threats to the region. Reviewing 10 years of the ADMM+ can help withdraw lessons to heighten the ADMM+ to become an open and inclusive mechanism to respond to mutual security challenges for an Asia Pacific of peace, stability, cooperation, and development.
“Therefore, I am very glad to receive Russian Minister of Defense and other defense ministers from the ADMM+ member countries in Vietnam on this importance celebration,” said Minister Ngo Xuan Lich.
He concluded his speech by quoting President Ho Chi Minh as saying that Vietnamese people strongly believe that all disputes can be settled by peaceful means, and countries, regardless of their social regimes and ideologies, can live in peace together.
The Vietnamese minister believes that with sincere cooperation, the Asia Pacific will truly enjoy peace, stability and sustainable development and that will be the legacy for the younger generation.
Translated by Nam Long