Reflecting a common commitment to a region of peace, stability and security

The ASEAN Defense Senior Officials' Meeting (ADSOM) opened on August 2 in Jakarta, Indonesia. (Source: VOV)

On August 2, the ASEAN Defense Senior Officials' Meeting (ADSOM) opened in Jakarta with the participation of 10 ASEAN member countries and under the chairmanship of Indonesia, ASEAN Chair 2023.

The high-ranking delegation of the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense led by Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien, member of the Party Central Committee, member of the Central Military Commission, and Deputy Minister of National Defense attended the conference.

In his opening remarks, Lieutenant General Donny Ermawan Taufanto, Secretary General of the Indonesian Ministry of Defense, affirmed that the theme of “Peace, Prosperity and Security” for the 2023 ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) Chairmanship demonstrates Jakarta’s commitment to promoting peace and security within and outside the region, while also reflecting ASEAN’s common commitment to promoting stability and prosperity throughout the region.

Speaking at the conference, Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien highly appreciated the efforts of the Indonesian Ministry of Defense during its ASEAN Chairmanship year, and expressed his belief that the conference would be a great success, thereby continuing to strengthen solidarity and collective strength in ASEAN to respond flexibly and proactively to security challenges, for a peaceful, prosperous and secure region.

At the conference, the Heads of Delegations heard reports on the results of the ASEAN Senior Defense Officials' Working Group (ADSOM WG), the 16th Annual Meeting of the Network of ASEAN Defense and Security Institutes (NADI-16) and the 20th ASEAN Chiefs of Defense Forces Meeting (ACDFM-20). The conference also heard countries update on the implementation of ASEAN defense cooperation.

Delegates also discussed and agreed on documents to be submitted to the ADMM and the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting Plus (ADMM+) for adoption in 2023, including new initiatives, the ADMM Joint Statement and the ADMM+ Thematic Joint Statement.

In addition, the conference also discussed cooperation activities with some countries outside the region, preparations for the ASEAN Defense Senior Officials Meeting Plus (ADSOM+), ADMM and ADMM+.