KUALA LUMPUR : Issues relating to the IS militant threat to
this region will be among the focus when defence ministers from 10 ASEAN member countries meet with their eight dialogue partners at the ASEAN
Defence Ministers Meeting (ADMM) Plus, here, from Nov 2 to 5.
US Defence Secretary Dr Ash Carter and China’s Defence Minister
General Chang Wanquan are among those from the ASEAN dialogue partner
countries that have confirmed their attendance to the meeting.
Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said the “IS
militant threat is real and if not handled properly, has the potential
of turning this region into the biggest catastrophe the world has ever
seen”.
The ADMM-Plus, the first ever meeting to be hosted by Malaysia,
would discuss ways to strengthen security and defence cooperation for
peace, stability and development in the region, he told reporters, here,
today.
As the chairman of ADMM for this year, Hishammuddin said Malaysia’s
position was crucial in its role to ensure that the region remained
stable.
ADMM is the highest defence consultative and cooperative mechanism in ASEAN on matters related to defence.
It is aimed at promoting mutual trust and confidence through
greater understanding of defence and security challenges, as well as
enhancement of transparency and openness.
ASEAN groups 10 countries, namely Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia,
Laos, Malaysia, Mynmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam
while its eight dialogue partners in the ASEAN Plus are Australia,
China, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia and the United
States.
Hishammuddin said the theme of the coming ADMM Plus meeting would be
“ASEAN – Maintaining Regional Security and Stability For And By The
People”.
The inaugural ADMM-Plus was held in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Oct 12, 2010.
The defence ministers then agreed on five areas of practical cooperation
to pursue under this new mechanism, namely maritime security,
counter-terrorism, humanitarian assistance and disaster management,
peacekeeping operations and military medicine.
To facilitate cooperation on these areas, five Expert Working Groups (EWGs) were established.
Practical cooperation is now moving apace on the five priority areas.
A new Expert Working Group on Humanitarian Mine Action was established
following the endorsement of the 7th ADMM on May 7, 2013.
The second ADMM-Plus was convened in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei on Aug 29, 2013.
Disediakan oleh : PeneranganPemudaSEREMBAN
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