Deputy Defence Minister, Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh (centre) chairs the online ASEAN Defence Senior Officials’ Meeting Plus on November 19 (Photo: VNA)

The meeting involved heads of ADSOM in ASEAN countries and Russia, China, the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia, New Zealand, and India, as well as ASEAN Deputy Secretary General Hoang Anh Tuan, among others.

It aimed to promote practical defence cooperation between ASEAN countries as well as between ASEAN and partners, evaluate Vietnam’s role as the ASEAN Chair in 2020, and make preparations for the seventh ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting Plus (ADMM+).

Vinh expressed his hope that participants will work together effectively to finalise preparations for the seventh ADMM+ in December.

Recalling the outcomes of the working session in July to seek ways to cope with COVID-19, he affirmed the significance of defence cooperation in settling the pandemic as well as the completion of work in each country and ASEAN as a whole.

He underlined that although the pandemic is still to be tackled, it will not be able to halt defence cooperation thanks to the efforts of all sides in the fight.

ADMM+  is one of the last events to be held by Vietnam as the ASEAN Chair this year.

“I hope we will seek a common voice and encourage the broad cooperation formed 10 years ago, while maintaining the prestige, solidarity, and central role of ASEAN,” Vinh said.

Participants discussed ASEAN intra-bloc cooperation and heard a report on the outcomes of the ADSOM+  Working Group, while sharing views on the global and regional security situation during and after COVID-19.

They adopted a plan of action for the 2021-2023 period from the ADMM+  Experts’ Working Group and opined on the draft joint statement for the seventh ADMM+.

According to VNA, they also underscored the important role of multilateral defence cooperation in responding to COVID-19 in each country.

ASEAN Deputy Secretary General Tuan hailed the efforts of Vietnam’s Defence Ministry in organising ADSOM amid the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic./.

Compiled by BTA