The ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) Retreat got underway in Ha Noi from February 18-20, with a host of the major defence-military activities of the regional bloc, hosted by the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence as Vietnam is serving as the ASEAN Chair for 2020.

The 13th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) held in 2019 in Bangkok, Thailand

The priorities and initiatives proposed by the Ministry of National Defense in 2020 are built on the basis of the content of the national theme in 2020 "ASEAN Integrity and Proactive Adaptation".

On that basis, the Ministry has defined the theme of ASEAN military-defence conferences in 2020, including this ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting (ADMM) as "Defence Cooperation for an ASEAN of cohesion and proactive adaptation.”

Accordingly, the priorities for the ASEAN Year 2020 include promoting dialogue and defence-military cooperation within ASEAN and between ASEAN and partner countries; proactively proposing initiatives and new forms of cooperation aimed at strengthening institutions, improving the capacity to coordinate common activities and revitalizing existing cooperation mechanisms; stepping up substantial cooperation in defence- military; accelerating the resolution of security issues, both traditional and non-traditional, transnational crimes and sea-related problems.

Lieut. Gen. Le Huy Vinh, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army, highlighted the importance of the ADMM as it serves as a venue for ASEAN Defence Ministers to exchange content regarding defence co-operation whilst also providing a platform to outline co-operation ties for 2020 and beyond in future years.

The occasion also offers an opportunity for the nation to assert itself in the role of ASEAN Chair in terms of management and co-ordination of defence co-operation activities between member states, whilst simultaneously promoting the country’s image, in addition to that of the Vietnamese People's Army, to the wider world.

As the ADMM gets underway, Defence Minister Ngo Xuan Lich is scheduled to have bilateral meetings alongside the Lao Defence Minister and Australian Defense Minister.

Throughout its duration, the ADMM will cover a plenary session and an informal meeting of ASEAN-Australia Defence Ministers which is slated for February 19.

Along with this meeting, Minister Ngo Xuan Lich will also be holding a series of bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Cambodia, Thailand, and Indonesia.-VOV