ASEAN and partner countries' defence ministers, including Vietnamese defence chief Phan Văn Giang (second from right) attended the opening of the 9th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) Plus in Siem Reap, Cambodia, on Wednesday. — VNA/VNS Photo Huỳnh Thảo

SIEM REAP — The 9th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) Plus opened in Siem Reap City in the Cambodian province of Siem Reap on Wednesday.

The event was attended by defence ministers and officials from member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and partner countries, namely Australia, China, India, Japan, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Russia, and the US.

The Vietnamese delegation was led by Minister of National Defence, General Phan Văn Giang.

Prior to the opening of the 9th ADMM Plus, Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen delivered a speech in which he stressed that amid growing uncertainties in the global economic and security situation, ADMM is playing an increasingly important role in promoting mutual understanding through dialogue based on respect, practical cooperation, and capacity building.

He said the world is now at an important point when many complex crises are posing unprecedented threats to the foundation of peace, stability, and progress in many countries around the world. To overcome those crises, ASEAN is exerting efforts to maintain dialogue and build up trust by providing a safe, open, and constructive foundation; and promoting open, inclusive, and rules-based multilateralism is the core goal of the bloc. In these efforts, it has strongly committed to maintaining its centrality and unity.

At least five factors are needed to realise harmonious security in the region, namely ASEAN’s centrality; an open, inclusive, and rules-based regional security architecture; people-centred and trust-based security and defence cooperation; comprehensive security; and cooperation security, according to the Cambodian leader.

In his opening speech at the 9th ADMM Plus, Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence General Tea Banh, who is also Chair of ADMM Plus, emphasised the role of multilateral cooperation mechanisms, together with respect for international law, self-restraint, and peaceful solutions, which are the correct choice to deal with any risks.

Since its inception, ADMM Plus has developed into the main multilateral defence cooperation mechanism to promote regional peace, stability, and prosperity on the basis of the ASEAN consensus, unity and centrality principle.

As Chair of ADMM, ADMM Plus, and related meetings this year, the Cambodian Ministry of National Defence is strongly committed to the principles on peaceful and equitable cooperation, ASEAN’s centrality, and common efforts to help resolve all latent challenges in the region so as to guarantee peace, harmony, and comprehensive partnership for harmonious security and security in the region, he added.

Addressing the meeting, Vietnamese defence minister said global tensions are increasing, while non-traditional security threats such as pandemics, climate change, water security, and cybersecurity, etc. demand heightened attention.

Giang said maritime security is a concern of many countries, including the situation in the South China Sea (called East Sea in Việt Nam).

He said the maintenance of a peaceful, stable, safe maritime environment with ensured freedom of overflight and navigation is in the interests of ASEAN and ASEAN partners, adding that Việt Nam insists on parties complying with Declaration of Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) and moving towards a substantive, effective Code of Conduct (COC), and handling all disputes in the sea via peaceful measures in line with international law, including 1982 UNCLOS. — VNS