Vietnamese Defence Minister, General Phung Quang Thanh has called on
ASEAN to strengthen solidarity and cooperation for common prosperity,
focusing on cooperation with China and the US, the two biggest economic
powers in the world, which also exert influence on regional security.
He
addressed the 7th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) in Brunei’s capital city of Bandar Seri Begawan, on May 7.
General Thanh said ASEAN should work to issue a cooperation mechanism with China, like the high-level ASEAN+1 mechanism.
He noted that in the meantime, peace, friendship, cooperation and development remain a prevailing trend.
Regarding
the East Sea issue, Thanh also reaffirmed Vietnams’ stance on
resolving disputes by peaceful means in line with international law,
including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Relevant parties should fully implement the Declaration on the Conduct
of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), the ASEAN’s Six-Point Principle in
the East Sea , the ASEAN – China Joint Declaration on the occasion of
the 10 th anniversary of the DOC signing in Cambodia , and promptly
formulate the Code of Conduct in the East Sea between ASEAN and
China, he said.
As for non-traditional security
challenges, Thanh said the Vietnamese maritime police recently arrested
11 foreign pirates, as well as successfully rescued nine Malaysian
fishermen. Vietnam and Laos also worked together effectively in
the fight against drugs.
He proposed regional
cooperation measures like increasing naval links, establishing a naval
hotline, holding joint patrols at sea, and organising exchanges among
ASEAN forces stationed in islands of Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago
with the first one between Vietnam and the Philippines.
The
Vietnamese minister also proposed signing an agreement on not using
forces before and during marine sovereignty disputes, especially among
ASEAN countries that have deployed forces in Truong Sa archipelago.
Once
realised, these moves will serve as a precondition for high-level
agreements to be implemented, thus promoting peace and stability and
lessening tensions and confrontation in the region, Minister Thanh
stressed.
The minister also appreciated Thailand ’s
role as a coordinator in ASEAN – China relations, including the
building of COC.
He described the first ADMM+
Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief and Military Medicine
Exercise, slated for June in Brunei, as a large-scale event, marking
an important development and symbolising ASEAN’s linkages with partner
countries in the region, affirming that Vietnam will send its forces
to field drills.
Regarding humanitarian assistance
activities and Vietnam’s initiative on establishing an ADMM+ experts’
working group on humanitarian mine action, Thanh said ASEAN needs to
enhance experience sharing and assist resources to overcome the
aftermath of post-war bombs and mines, for interests and future of each
country’s people, especially those in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia who
experienced tragic years of war.
On the fringe of the event, Thanh also held a bilateral meeting with his Chinese counterpart.
The
ASEAN Defence Ministers adopted four concept papers, namely
establishing ASEAN defence interaction programmes, the establishment of
logistics support framework and ADMM+ experts’ working group on
humanitarian mine action, the transition of the ADMM+ experts’ working
group co-chairmanship.
They issued a Joint Declaration themed
“Securing Our People, Our Future Together”, reiterating their commitment
to fully and effectively implement the DOC.
This year’s event took the theme “Securing Our People, Our Future Together”.-VNA