(VOVWORLD) - The ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting Retreat (ADMM Retreat) convened its plenary session in Hanoi on Wednesday, opening activities held by the Vietnamese Defense Ministry during Vietnam’s chairmanship of ASEAN.
 Minister of Defense General Ngo Xuan Lich (C) chairs the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting Retreat. (Photo: vov.vn) |
The retreat is an important preparation for ADMM and ADMM Plus meetings scheduled for later this year.
Within the ADMM Retreat’s framework, the Vietnamese Defense Minister will have separate bilateral meetings with the ASEAN Secretary General, the Defense Ministers of Australia, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, and the head of the Indonesian delegation. ASEAN Defense Ministers will have an unofficial meeting with the Australian Defense Minister.
Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh, Vietnam’s Deputy Defence Minister, said: “The ADMM Retreat will play an important role in the success of ASEAN Year, the 10 ASEAN members, and ADMM Plus. The event’s success will depend on the draft dialogues between ASEAN members and between ASEAN and its partners. Specifically, these are the joint communiques of ADMM and ADMM Plus. We need to develop a program which suits all participating countries.”
On Tuesday, the working group of ASEAN Senior Defence Officers discus agenda for the ADMM Retreat, especially a thematic statement for February on defence cooperation against disease outbreaks and cooperation activities during the ASEAN Year 2020.