Vietnamese Defence Minister General Phung Quang Thanh has highlighted
the need to promote cooperation activities within the framework of the
ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM+) with ASEAN playing the
central role.
Speaking at the second ADMM+ in Bandar Seri
Begawan, Brunei on August 29, Minister Thanh cited a humanitarian
assistance and disaster relief exercise in Brunei last June as an
example of the benefits from the ASEAN members working together.
He suggested the promotion of naval partnerships in the region
through joint patrols, exchanges and establishment of hotlines between
naval forces and defence officials of ADMM+ member countries.
Vietnam is ready to sign a commitment on not using or threatening to use violence, he stated.
He called on regional countries to strengthen cooperation during
rescue missions for ships and people in distress at sea and to partner
with each other in combating pirates.
“Vietnam welcomes ships from ADMM+ member countries to visit its seaports”, he said.
While applauding the international support for Vietnam’s initiative
on humanitarian mine action, the minister suggested countries,
especially the US, take a bigger role in clearing bombs and mines
remaining from the war in the country.
According to Thanh,
Vietnam now needs advice and material assistance as it prepares to join
United Nations peace keeping missions.
Regarding the regional
situation, Minister Thanh pointed out that in the context of the global
economic downturn, the Asian-Pacific has still seen emerging economies,
with many maintaining a high growth rate and drawing investment from of
other countries worldwide.
Despite efforts to ensure peace and
stability in political security, the region still faces disputes at sea
and on land as well as non-traditional threats such as drug trafficking
and network security issues, he said.
He called on countries,
especially China and the US, to build strategic trust and enhance
cooperation activities to maintain regional peace and stability.
On the East Sea dispute, the Vietnamese minister voiced his view that
countries should settle dispute peacefully via dialogue on the basis of
the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS 1982) and the
Declaration on the 10th Anniversary of ASEAN-China Strategic
Partnership, looking towards a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC),
which ensures maritime security and safety.
General Thanh also
used the occasion to reiterate Vietnam’s stance of supporting
denuclearisation in the Korean peninsula through six-party talks and the
establishment of a stable environment in the region.
At the
meeting, ASEAN Deputy Secretary General Nyan Lynn delivered a report on
recent developments in the ten-member group and within the framework of
the ADMM+.
He spoke highly of the settlement of dispute in the
East Sea through dialogue and the implementation of the DOC, towards
the formation of the COC.
The ADMM+ closed with a ceremony to
hand over the ADMM Chairmanship to Myanmar, which will also assume the
ASEAN Chair next year.
Later, the ministers signed a joint
statement under which they reached a consensus on some issues related to
the establishment of a ADMM-Plus Expert Working Group on Humanitarian
Mine Action.
The same day, Defence Minister Thanh held a
bilateral meeting with his Australian counterpart Stephen Smith, who
said Australia is willing to share experience with Vietnam and assist
the country in implementing its initiative on humanitarian mine action.
Australia also pledges more scholarships for Vietnamese
military officers and promised to dispatch teachers of English to the
country.-VNA