Heads of delegations to the 20th ASEAN Chiefs of Defence Forces Meeting (ACDFM 20). VNA/VNS Photo

Jakarta (VNA) – A high-ranking Vietnamese defence delegation led by Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army (VPA) and Deputy Minister of National Defence Sen. Lieut. Gen. Nguyễn Tân Cương attended the 20th ASEAN Chiefs of Defence Forces Meeting (ACDFM 20) that opened in Bali, Indonesia on June 7.

Addressing the event, Sen. Lieut. Gen. Cương said that as a responsible member of the international community and ASEAN, Việt Nam has joined cooperation activities among militaries of ASEAN countries.

He called on relevant parties to continue their commitments in maintaining peace, security, stability, safety and freedom of navigation and overflight in the East Sea, while strengthening trust building and fully and effectively implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and soon finalising negotiations for a substantial and effective Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) in line with international law.

On the occasion, Cương invited regional countries to join important military-defence cooperation activities to be hosted by Việt Nam in 2023, including the eighth meeting of the ASEAN Peacekeeping Centres Network (APCN), a volleyball tournament for ASEAN militaries and end-of-term activities of the ADMM Experts’ Working Group on Peacekeeping Operations Cycle 4 (2021 - 2023).

Việt Nam will also hold a ceremony to mark the 80th founding anniversary of the Vietnam People’s Army and an international defence exhibition in 2024, he said.

The Vietnamese general underlined that the ADMM theme of “peace, prosperity and security” chosen by Indonesia as ASEAN Chair in 2023 showed the common wish of all countries in the ASEAN Community to uphold the close bond and solidarity towards a people-centred future, thus affirming ASEAN militaries as an inseparable part of the bloc in dealing with common challenges in the region, especially amid the current complicated security situation.

Participants at the event listened to a report on the outcomes of the 20th ASEAN Military Intelligence Meeting (AMIM 20) and the 13th ASEAN Military Operations Meeting (AMOM-13) that took place on June 5-6. The results include the approval of a Concept Document on the foundation of ASEAN Military Intelligence Community (AMIC) at the AMIM 20 and the organisation of an AMIC leaders’ meeting in Vietnam at an early date.

Sen. Lieut. Gen. Cương welcomed participants' support for the AMIC initiative given by Việt Nam and Indonesia.