Vietnam alongside ASEAN enhance defense links with RoK

The defense officials highlighted the 30-year cooperation achievements between the RoK and ASEAN and outlined a vision for future defense cooperation. Korean Deputy Defense Minister Park Jae-min emphasized that his nation always considers ASEAN a top priority in its foreign policy, based on respect for ASEAN's principle of consensus and central role.

The RoK desires to boost stronger cooperation with ASEAN within the framework of the working groups of the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting Plus (ADMM +) mechanism in the fields of maritime security, anti-terrorism and military medicine.

ASEAN member states highly appreciated the results of ASEAN- RoK defense cooperation and expressed their desire for effective and practical defense cooperation between ASEAN and Korea, thus making positive contributions to peace and stability in the region.

Sen. Lieut. Gen. Nguyen Chi Vinh said the mechanism of the ASEAN-Korea Deputy Defense Minister meeting is not only a policy exchange channel but also a place to discuss the actual implementation of cooperation areas.

He also asked the RoK to pay greater attention to the key areas of ADMM + mechanism such as maritime security and peacekeeping operations.

Regarding international cooperation in cyber security within the framework of the ongoing eighth Seoul defence dialogue in Seoul, Vinh said cyber space has become a new strategic and special territory that closely links with socio-economic development, protection of national sovereignty, interests and security. He called for joint efforts to combat dangers from cyber space, maintain peace, stability and ensure national sovereignty and interests of each nation. It is imperative to build and refine international laws on cyber space, join conventions and joint statements on cyber security cooperation on the basis of respect for sovereignty, equality and mutual benefits for the goal of using cyber space for the purpose of peace, development and cooperation, he noted.

The dialogue on the theme of “Building Peace Together: Challenges and Visions”, draw the participation of defense leaders, experts and scholars from 56 countries and six international organizations.

The Vietnamese defense official voiced his hope that with the high-level development of science and technology, the RoK will work together with ASEAN to deal with challenges in cyber security. Vietnam attaches great importance to augmenting cyber security cooperation within ASEAN and between ASEAN and partners, including the RoK, especially when Vietnam assumes the ASEAN Chair in 2020.

Vietnam is willing to bolster cooperation with ASEAN member states and the RoK in a bid to bring practical efficiency to the sides and the international community, he added.

Deputy Defense Minister Sen. Lieut. Gen. Nguyen Chi Vinh meets with Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defense of Singapore Chan Yeng Kit.

The same day Vinh had a bilateral meeting with Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defense of Singapore Chan Yeng Kit

, during which the two sides expressed their satisfaction with bilateral defense cooperation over the past time. The Vietnamese Deputy Defense Minister thanked the Ministry of Defense of Singapore for actively supporting human resource training for Vietnam ahead of its assumption of the ASEAN Chair.

Chan Yeng Kit affirmed that the Ministry of Defense of Singapore would do its best to help its Vietnamese counterpart successfully organize military-defense conferences in 2020.

The two officials agreed that it is impossible for competition and friction among major countries to affect the solidarity of ASEAN as well as the bloc’s central role in regional cooperation mechanisms, including ADMM +.

In the leading up to the 10th anniversary of ADMM +, Vinh and Chan Yeng Kit consented to scrutinize documents, and initiatives so as to further enhance ADMM + cooperation in the new period based on the key principles of openness, tolerance and ASEAN-led mechanisms.