General Nguyen Tan Cuong: ASEAN overcomes common challenges when cooperating on the basis of strategic trust

General Nguyen Tan Cuong said that ASEAN can only overcome common challenges when countries in the bloc cooperate on the basis of strategic trust, sincerity and a spirit of joint action.

General Nguyen Tan Cuong, head of the Vietnamese delegation attending the 22nd ASEAN Chiefs of Defense Forces Meeting (ACDFM-22). (Photo provided by the Ministry of National Defense )

On September 10, General Nguyen Tan Cuong attended the 22nd ASEAN Chiefs of Defense Forces Meeting (ACDFM-22) held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The conference was chaired by General Tan Sri Hj Mohd Nizam bin Hj Jaffar, Commander of the Malaysian Defence Force, with the participation of high-ranking military delegations from the ASEAN region.

General Nguyen Tan Cuong, Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army and Deputy Minister of National Defense, led a high-ranking military delegation of the Vietnam People's Army to attend and deliver an important speech at the conference.

Speaking at the opening of the conference, General Tan Sri Hj Mohd Nizam bin Hj Jaffar, Commander of the Malaysian Defence Force, happily welcomed the Chiefs of Defence Forces of ASEAN countries attending ACDFM-22, and affirmed that cooperation between the armies of ASEAN member countries plays a very important role, which is a condition for building a peaceful , prosperous and secure ASEAN region.

General Tan Sri Hj Mohd Nizam bin Hj Jaffar, Chief of the Malaysian Defence Force, delivered the closing speech at the conference. (Photo provided by the Ministry of Defence)

The conference reached a high consensus on further strengthening existing defense and military cooperation mechanisms, through launching practical and effective initiatives, deepening and focusing strategic dialogue, expanding professional exchange and capacity building programs; making efforts to enhance regional cybersecurity resilience and promoting sustainable peace mechanisms to resolve conflicts and prevent escalation of tensions.

The Joint Statement of the Summit reaffirmed the importance of exercising self-restraint in the conduct of activities that could complicate or escalate tensions and affect peace and stability, and pursuing peaceful settlement of disputes in accordance with international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS, while enhancing mutual trust and confidence through confidence-building measures such as the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea, Military Aircraft Interaction Guidelines, Maritime Interaction Guidelines, ASEAN Direct Communication Infrastructure and activities within the DOC framework.

Maintain the ASEAN Chiefs of Defence Forces Meeting as the top and highest military leadership mechanism in ASEAN, promoting genuine cooperation among the armed forces of ASEAN countries.

Handing over the role of Chairman of ACDFM-23 to the Republic of the Philippines. (Photo provided by the Ministry of National Defense)

Representatives of ASEAN military leaders expressed their desire to build a self-reliant, secure and stable regional community through a comprehensive, cooperative and strategic approach, in compliance with the basic principles and objectives stated in the ASEAN Charter and the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, to address regional security challenges effectively and efficiently, with the goal of ensuring people live in a peaceful, prosperous and secure environment. At the same time, they agreed to actively contribute to regional security and relief efforts in many fields, including humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, maritime security, military medicine, counter-terrorism and peacekeeping operations.

The conference adopted the recommendations of the 22nd ASEAN Military Intelligence Chiefs Meeting (AMIM), the 15th ASEAN Military Operations Chiefs Meeting (AMOM) and the 2nd ASEAN Military Intelligence/Defense Community Leaders Meeting (AMIC); adopted the ASEAN Military Two-Year Work Plan 2025 - 2027 as a general guide, reflecting mutual trust and common views in the sharing of views of the Chiefs of Defense Forces of the countries; supported initiatives to promote defense diplomacy, peaceful settlement of disputes and strict compliance with international law, including the United Nations Charter and the ASEAN Charter as a confidence-building measure to promote stability, mutual trust and legitimate solutions in addressing regional security challenges.

Speaking at the conference, General Nguyen Tan Cuong said that ASEAN can only overcome common challenges when countries in the bloc cooperate on the basis of strategic trust, sincerity and the spirit of joint action. In fact, ASEAN's specific, practical and effective cooperation activities, including military-defense cooperation, play a positive role in enhancing strategic trust and contributing to maintaining peace and stability in the region.

General Nguyen Tan Cuong speaks at the conference. (Photo provided by the Ministry of National Defense)

General Nguyen Tan Cuong highly appreciated Malaysia's efforts in its role as ASEAN Chair 2025 to actively promote and create a favorable environment for the peaceful resolution of disagreements in the spirit of friendship and solidarity, for the benefit of both sides and the region. At the same time, he emphasized that more than ever, ASEAN needs to promote its central role and strengthen solidarity within the bloc through concrete actions. Regional military cooperation mechanisms chaired by ASEAN have been playing an important role in building trust, enhancing mutual understanding and promoting effective dialogue on security.

Regarding the situation in the East Sea, General Nguyen Tan Cuong affirmed that Vietnam always adheres to its stance of resolving disputes by peaceful means, on the basis of respecting the independence, sovereignty and legitimate interests of countries; complying with international law, especially the 1982 UNCLOS. Vietnam supports the full implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and the early achievement of an effective, substantive Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) in accordance with international law and the 1982 UNCLOS.

The head of the Vietnamese delegation reaffirmed that as an active and responsible member of the ASEAN community and the international community, the Vietnam People's Army is committed to continuing to contribute to building a united, proactive, adaptive and sustainably developed ASEAN.

In order to continue promoting ASEAN military-defense cooperation to become increasingly deeper, more effective and more substantial, General Nguyen Tan Cuong proposed four specific orientations: Continuing to strengthen ASEAN's solidarity and central role, effectively promoting existing defense cooperation mechanisms, especially in responding to non-traditional security challenges; enhancing strategic information sharing among ASEAN military forces; enhancing cooperation to improve the capacity to respond to non-traditional security threats, first of all, cyber security; promoting defense exchanges, through flexible activities, suitable to the conditions of each country.

The high-ranking military delegation of the Vietnam People's Army attended the conference. (Photo provided by the Ministry of National Defense)

On this occasion, General Nguyen Tan Cuong sincerely thanked the Ministry of National Defense and the armies of ASEAN countries for actively supporting and participating in defense activities organized by Vietnam in 2024. General Nguyen Tan Cuong believes that, with the tradition of solidarity and cooperation within the bloc, ASEAN will overcome differences, stand firm in the face of challenges and continue to affirm its strategic position in the region and the world.

At ACDFM-22, the ASEAN Chiefs of Defence Forces expressed their support for the 2025 theme chosen by Malaysia as “ASEAN: United for Security and Prosperity”. Delegates attending the Conference also welcomed the decision of the 46th ASEAN Summit to officially approve Timor Leste as the 11th member of ASEAN, which will be announced at the 47th ASEAN Summit.

This decision demonstrates ASEAN’s inclusiveness and regional solidarity, affirms the principle of being an open and responsive community; expresses appreciation to the Lao People’s Democratic Republic for its outstanding and dedicated Chairmanship in 2024, and welcomes Malaysia for its exemplary and visionary Chairmanship in 2025.

The Conference also proceeded to hand over the chairmanship of the 23rd ACDFM, 23rd AMIM and 16th AMOM to the Republic of the Philippines in 2026.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/dai-tuong-nguyen-tan-cuong-asean-vuot-thach-thuc-chung-khi-cung-hop-tac-tren-nen-tang-long-tin-chien-luoc-327257.html