Vietnam attends ARF Defence Officials’ Dialogue via virtual form

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Lieutenant General Vu Chien Thang, Director General of the Foreign Relations Department, Vietnam’s Ministry of National Defence. (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam joined other 26 member states of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) at the ARF Defence Officials’ Dialogue (DOD), which was chaired by Haji Adi Ihram Bin Dato Paduka Haji Mahmud, Deputy Permanent Secretary of Policy and Strategy at the Brunei Defence Ministry, and David Lewis, Assistant Secretary Southeast Asia under Australia’s Department of Defence in the form of video conference.

The Vietnamese delegation was led by Lieutenant General Vu Chien Thang, Director General of the Foreign Relations Department under the Ministry of Defence, according to VOV.

The meeting was jointly chaired by Haji Adi Ihram Bin Dato Paduka Haji Mahmud, Deputy Permanent Secretary of Policy and Strategy under Brunei’s Defence Ministry, and David Lewis, Assistant Secretary Southeast Asia under Australia’s Department of Defense.

Overview of the meeting. (Photo: PLO)

Brigadier General Dato Seri Pahlawan Shahril Anwar bin Haji Ma’awiah, Permanent Secretary of the Brunei Ministry of Defence, called on nations to boost their sound collaboration, including strong defense cooperation, in the context that the region and the world are facing a wide range of security challenges.

He expressed his hope that the ARF member countries will have more opportunities to learn from each other, as well as work closely to help the region get ready and stay resilient to cope with future challenges, particularly the critical impacts of COVID-19, Nhan Dan said.

This year DOD aimed to discuss measures to narrow the gap in knowledge of emerging technologies between nations, and their influences on defense security.

Participants also worked to agree to the agenda in preparation for the 18th ASEAN Regional Forum Security Policy Conference (ASPC-18) scheduled for late this month. It will be hosted by Brunei and in the form of video conference.

Lieutenant General Vu Chien Thang at the meeting. (Photo: VNA)

Established in 1994, the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) is an important platform for security dialogue in the Indo-Pacific. It provides a setting in which members can discuss current security issues and develop cooperative measures to enhance peace and security in the region.

The ARF is characterized by consensus-based decision-making and frank dialogue. It comprises 27 members, including 10 ASEAN member states (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam); 10 ASEAN dialogue partners (Australia, Canada, China, the European Union, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia, and the US); Bangladesh, North Korea, Mongolia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Timor-Leste; and one ASEAN observer (Papua New Guinea).

Australia was a founding member of the ARF.

As reported by Hanoitimes, the ARF has five work streams: Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime; Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Security; Disaster Relief; Maritime Security; and Non-Proliferation and Disarmament.

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