Lieut. Gen. Ngo Minh Tien, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army, led the Vietnamese delegation to the event.
Participants agreed that the region is facing many traditional and non-traditional challenges, especially competition among world powers, territorial sovereignty disputes, terrorism, and cybersecurity.
It requires ASEAN member countries to promote intra-bloc cooperation as well as strengthen collaboration with partners, including Japan, to deal with common challenges.
Addressing the event, Tien underlined the need for stronger multilateral partnership, especially cooperation within the ASEAN Defence Ministerial Meeting (ADMM) and ADMM+, which help strengthen dialogue on international and regional issues of shared concern and increase trust among countries while creating a framework to promote practical cooperation among military forces inside and outside ASEAN.
Participants highlighted the significance of the Indo-Pacific region, where many important transportation lines meet.
The ensuring of goods and services exchange plays a crucial role in promoting economic development in the region, they noted, stressing that all countries, small or big, should enhance their responsibility and abide by international laws.
At the event, ASEAN countries showed support for Japan’s strengthening of defence cooperation with ASEAN on the foundation of the Vientiane Vision, especially activities to raise the capacity of ASEAN countries.
Regarding the ASEAN-Japan defence cooperation, Tien lauded positive contributions made by Japan within the ADMM since the mechanism was established in Vietnam in October 2010.
As the coordinator of ASEAN-Japan relations, Vietnam will continue to work closely with relevant parties to realize cooperation between the two sides, he pledged.
Lieut. Gen. Onsi Sensuk, Deputy Defence Minister of Laos, lauded the efficiency of the ASEAN-Japan strategic partnership, including defence affiliation, especially since the Vientiane Vision was introduced in 2016.
The same day, delegates paid a courtesy call to Japanese Defence Minister Taro Kono.
On the occasion, Lieut. Gen Ngo Minh Tien had a meeting with Japanese Deputy Defence Minister Yasunori Nishida, during which both sides showed their pleasure at the progress of the Vietnam-Japan defence ties over the years and concurred to continue promoting collaboration in a number of areas, including naval ship exchange, defence industry, war aftermath overcoming, and UN peacekeeping.
The Japanese side vowed to support Vietnam when the country plays its role as ASEAN Chair in 2020./.
VNA
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