Defence Ministers from the 10 ASEAN member states on October 23 signed a joint declaration of the 11th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM), reaffirming the importance of maintaining peace, stability, security, safety and freedom of navigation in and overflight over the East Sea.

Vietnamese Defence Minister General Ngo Xuan Lich

The declaration asserted the demand of intensifying mutual trust, exercising self-restraint, avoiding actions that can complicate the situation, and pursuing peaceful measures to solve disputes in conformity with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

It also repeated the importance of fully implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), and welcomed the approval and revision of the framework of a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC).

In the document, delegates stressed the necessity of maintaining defence industry cooperation through the regular meetings of the consultative group of ASEAN Defence Industry Collaboration (ADIC), and fostering people-to-people exchanges between defence offices through the ASEAN Defence Interaction Programme (ADIP).

They welcomed the annual organisation of the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM+), considering it an important milestone of dialogue and cooperation between ASEAN and its partners in settling shared security challenges for the common interests of the region.

The ministers also agreed to boost ASEAN military cooperation and strengthen connectivity between ADMM and ASEAN Chiefs of Defense Forces Informal Meeting (ACDFIM).

The 11th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) took place in Clark city, the Philippines, on October 23. Vietnamese Defence Minister General Ngo Xuan Lich attended the event.

[Vietnam attends 11th ADMM in Philippines]

At the meeting, delegates heard reports on intensifying cooperation between state members in maintaining peace, stability, security, development and prosperity in the region and the world.

They agreed to continue collaborating in solving challenges such as natural disasters, terrorism, and issues related to maritime security as well as freedom and safety of navigation and overflight.

The meeting acknowledged the role of defence organisations in dealing with traditional and non-traditional security challenges, while reaffirming the central role of ASEAN in the growing regional security structure.

The ADMM is the highest defense consultative and cooperative mechanism in the ASEAN.

ADMM aims to promote mutual trust and confidence through greater understanding of defense and security challenges, as well as enhancement of transparency and openness among the 10 ASEAN member states, namely Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

The ADMM-Plus is a platform for ASEAN defense ministers to engage their dialogue partners from Asia and the Pacific.

VNA