Defence Minister Gen. Ngo Xuan Lich has expressed hope that countries will continue to offer support and boost co-operation ties in an effort to successfully implement ASEAN military and defence activities amid the complicated developments of the COVID-19 epidemic.

Minister of National Defence General Ngo Xuan Lich speaks at the video conference.
Photo: Hanoi Moi (New Hanoi) Newspaper 

A video conference held as part of the ASEAN Defence Senior Officials’ Meeting Plus (ADSOM+) took place in Hanoi on July 7 under the chair of Deputy Defence Minister Sen. Lieut. Gen. Nguyen Chi Vinh.

Those in attendance included Politburo Member, Deputy Secretary of the Central Military Commission, Minister of National Defence General Ngo Xuan Lich, and ADSOM+ heads of nine ASEAN members and eight other countries, such as Russia, China, the United States, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia, New Zealand, and India, alongside other delegation members.

During his speech, General Lich highlighted the full participation of representatives of countries present at the event, indicating their strong co-operation and great support for Vietnam in its role as ASEAN Chair, as well as with regard to mechanisms central to ASEAN.

With the COVID-19 epidemic becoming increasingly complicated globally, it has swiftly become a huge non-traditional security challenge that has negatively affected all aspects of social life. However, no country can deal with the problem on its own, meaning there must be a closer co-operation of nations with a view of promoting the role of multilateral organisations and mechanisms, General Lich said.

The Minister of National Defence affirmed that geographical distance failed to prevent the co-operation of countries during the epidemic, although nations were urged to create appropriate forms and standardised methods.  With regard to the theme “A Cohesive and responsive ASEAN”, the regional bloc and its partners have kept up their proactive response to reality, moving to carry out a broad range of effective online activities.

Delegates participating in the occasion will be given a platform to share their views whilst offering a comprehensive outlook in terms of national defence and security as a way of building greater trust, bringing countries closer together, whilst promoting co-operation when faced with common challenges.

As Chair of ASEAN 2020, it is the responsibility of the Vietnam Defence Ministry to pay great attention and place a high priority on maintaining ADMM+ co-operation, the leading Vietnamese defence official stressed, adding that the country will offer proposals for activities to take place during the remainder of the year.

During the conference, delegates listened to the ASEAN Secretariat's presentation on ASEAN's response to the COVID-19 epidemic, in addition to a summary report carried out by the Working Group Leader detailing ADSOM+ activities.

Military representatives from several nations also shared their experience in  the epidemic response, exchanging the various activities held under the ADMM + framework as a basis to prepare for the ADSOM and ADSOM+ schedule for August, in addition to ADMM and ADMM+ meetings set to be held in the nation later this year.

The meeting also scrutinized a number of the country’s key schemes put forward during the ASEAN Chairmanship Year 2020, which will be launched during the second half of the year.