Speaking at the event, General Vinh stressed that the Covid-19 pandemic has seriously affected ASEAN countries. As the ASEAN Chair in 2020 and also a country affected by the disease, Vietnam wants to share the difficulties and losses that ASEAN countries have undergone. Highly appreciating the efforts of ASEAN countries in the fight against the COVID-19, Gen. Vinh believes that like Vietnam, ASEAN countries will soon contain the dangerous disease.
He also appreciated the great results of the ASEAN Defense Senior Officials' Working Group (ADSOM WG)'s teleconference, which was held on May 12, and chaired by Lieutenant General Vu Chien Thang, Director of the Department of Foreign Relations under the Ministry of National Defense.
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Gen. Vinh speaking at the event |
Vinh said that the ADMM Retreat in Hanoi last February issued a joint statement on defense cooperation against disease outbreaks, in which defense ministers expressed their resolve to remain united to overcome the pandemic.
"Vietnam would like to thank the militaries of ASEAN member countries for their support and cooperation to cope with the outbreak," he said.
Valuing the efforts of the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense in organizing the ADSOM teleconference, Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN Hoang Anh Tuan expressed his belief that the conference will yield good results.
The ADSOM teleconference aimed to promote defense cooperation among ASEAN countries and uphold the role of the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense as the Chair of ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting (ADMM) and ADMM Plus in ASEAN Year 2020.
In addition, the event was held to implement the outcomes of the ASEAN Special Summit and the ASEAN+3 Special Summit on COVID-19 response between ASEAN countries and China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea; as well as a joint statement on defense cooperation against the COVID-19 which was signed on the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting Retreat (ADMM Retreat).
As planned, participants discussed the bloc’s cooperation in COVID-19 prevention and control, shared experience, and devised cooperative measures for dealing with future epidemics.
In addition, they also exchanged viewpoints on global and regional situations amid the coronavirus outbreak and on the post-COVID-19 period, and spoke about directions for ASEAN defense cooperation in the time ahead.
Translated by Lam Anh