A Vietnamese delegation led by Lieut. Gen Vu Chien Thang, Director of the Defence Ministry’s Foreign Relations Department, attended the ASEAN Defence Senior Officials’ Meeting Plus Working Group (ADSOM+ WG) via video conference on February 4.

Lieut. Gen Vu Chien Thang at the meeting (Photo: mod.gov.vn) 

The meeting was chaired by Deputy Permanent Secretary of Policy and Strategy at the Brunei Defence Ministry Haji Adi Ihram Bin Dato Paduka Haji Mahmud.

Attending the event were heads of ADSOM WG of ASEAN member states and partner countries of Russia, China, the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia, New Zealand and India.

Thang, who is also head of the ADSOM WG Vietnam, informed participants about multilateral defence-military external activities to be hosted by the Vietnamese Defence Ministry this year, including a conference of the ASEAN Network of Peacekeeping Centres, activities of the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) Plus Experts’ Working Group on Peacekeeping Operations for 2021-2023 co-chaired by Vietnam and Japan, an international conference on women with the UN peacekeeping activities, the fourth border exchange programme and an international defence expo.

Speaking at the event, Haji Mahmud, who is also head of the ADSOM WG Brunei, stressed that during Vietnam ASEAN Chairmanship Year 2020, defence cooperation within ADMM Plus framework had reflected the spirit of “cohesive and responsive”, which he hoped, will further thrive during Brunei ASEAN Chairmanship Year 2021.

He also wished that the meeting would contribute to raising mutual understanding and practical defence collaboration between ASEAN and partner countries within the ADMM Plus.

Topics tabled for discussion at the meeting included a draft joint statement of the ADMM , the progress of ADMM working groups’ action plans adopted at the ADSOM last November, and preparations for the ADSOM and ADMM to be hosted by Brunei this year.