ASEAN army chiefs gather in Indonesia

Heads of delegations pose for a photo at the 20th ASEAN Chiefs of Army Multilateral Meeting in Bandung city on November 25 (Photo: VNA)

The 20th ASEAN Chiefs of Army Multilateral Meeting (ACAMM) was held in Bandung city, Indonesia’s West Java province, on November 25.

In his opening speech, Indonesian Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto called on ASEAN members to coordinate efforts to fight terrorism which is threatening their national security.

He highlighted three threats generated from terrorism, namely transnational crime, radicalism and terrorism itself, calling on the countries to enhance ties to prevent terrorism and help to maintain world peace.

Lt. Gen. Nguyen Tan Cuong, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army, voiced his support for other delegations' assessments of global and regional situations.

He affirmed that as a member of ASEAN, Vietnam always played an active and responsible role in the region’s common efforts to cope with challenges and carry out humanitarian aid and disaster relief.

To promote substantive cooperation, ASEAN armies should increase the sharing of information to respond to non-traditional security challenges, particularly terrorism and extremism. They should also strengthen their capacity to coordinate with one another, and participate in humanitarian aid and disaster relief drills.

On the sidelines of the ACAMM, the Vietnamese delegation had bilateral meetings with officials from Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Brunei.

Founded in 1967, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) comprises 10 member states, namely Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam./.

VNA