Vietnam proposes five factors to effectively deal with ASEAN security challenges at ADSOM+

On September 26, the ASEAN Defense Senior Officials Meeting Plus (ADSOM+) took place in Vientiane, Laos, under the chairmanship of Laos with the participation of representatives from 10 ASEAN member countries, Timor-Leste, the ASEAN Secretariat and 8 partner countries. The Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense delegation was led by Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien, Deputy Minister of National Defense.

Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien (in military uniform) attends the ADSOM+ Conference in Vientiane. Photo: QĐND

In his opening remarks, Lieutenant General Somphone Mittaphone, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Lao People's Army, thanked the countries for their support for Laos' chairmanship. He emphasized the importance of the ADSOM and ADSOM+ conferences in promoting dialogue and substantive cooperation between ASEAN and its partners to realize the cooperation goals within the ADMM and ADMM+ frameworks.

The meeting heard reports on the outcomes of the ASEAN Defence Officials’ Meeting Working Group Plus (ADSOM+ WG), the current situation in ASEAN, and updates on the work plan of the ADMM+ Expert Groups for the period 2021-2023. The work plan for the period 2024-2027 was also approved, along with the draft ADMM+ Joint Statement on Climate Change. In addition, delegates discussed regional and global security issues.

The heads of delegations all agreed that the international and regional situation is increasingly complicated with the intertwining of traditional and non-traditional security challenges such as natural disasters, epidemics, climate change, energy security, food security and cyber security. These challenges not only increase the risk of crisis but also aggravate existing security issues. In that context, the theme “Together for peace , security and self-reliance” proposed by Laos reflects the countries’ desire for a peaceful, stable and developed region. Connectivity and cooperation are the key factors to realize these goals.

At the ADSOM+ Conference, Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien, Deputy Minister of National Defense of Vietnam, delivered an important speech, highlighting the global and regional security situation and proposing defense cooperation measures between ASEAN and its partner countries. He stated that the world is facing many security challenges, both traditional and non-traditional, which no country can solve alone. This requires close cooperation from the international community.

Regarding the issue of national defense and maritime security, Senior Lieutenant General Chien affirmed that Vietnam is determined to resolve disputes in the East Sea by peaceful means, based on respect for sovereignty and legitimate interests of countries, and compliance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Vietnam also pledged to seriously implement international commitments such as the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and support the establishment of a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC).

In his speech, Senior Lieutenant General Chien emphasized five basic factors to effectively deal with current security challenges.

First, strengthening political trust and mutual understanding between ASEAN countries and partners, on the basis of respect for equality, self-determination and national interests.

Second, maintain ASEAN's central role in defense cooperation, especially in the ADMM+ Experts' Groups.

Third, resolve disputes by peaceful means, not using force and promoting open dialogue in ADMM+.

Fourth, enhance experience sharing and substantive cooperation among countries, promoting the role of mechanisms such as ADMM+.

Fifth, enhance the role of major countries in addressing regional security challenges.

Delegates at the conference also agreed on many important contents, preparing for the ADMM+ Conference scheduled to take place in November 2024.

Source: https://congthuong.vn/viet-nam-de-xuat-5-yeu-to-de-doi-pho-hieu-qua-voi-cac-thach-thuc-an-ninh-cua-asean-tai-adsom-348631.html