Addressing theevent, Lieut. Gen. Do Ba Ty, Chief of the General Staff of the VietnamPeople’s Army, said the meeting took place amidst recent developments inthe region’s security and with special attention given to maritimesecurity.
Ensuring a maritime environment of peace, stability,safety and harmony to serve sustainable economic development is thecommon aspiration of member nations and a core factor to link andpromote cooperation in ASEAN, he said.
The Vietnam Ministry ofDefence and the Vietnam People’s Army strongly support cooperation amongnavies of ASEAN countries in bilateral and multilateral channels, aswell as expansion of cooperation between ASEAN navies and partnercountries, the Chief of the General Staff affirmed.
TheVietnamese side welcomes forms of cooperation such as humanitarianassistance and disaster relief, joint patrols, establishment of hotlinesbetween naval units, information exchange, joint training to and jointexercises, in order to increase response capability to non-traditionalsecurity challenges of the region, Ty added.
Vice Admiral NguyenVan Hien, Deputy Defence Minister and Commander of the Vietnam People’sNavy, said that with the theme, “ASEAN Naval Cooperation for MaritimePeace and Security”, ANCM-5 took place in the context where security inthe East Sea has become complicated, with violations of nationalsovereignty over some ASEAN countries causing concerns for many regionaland non-regional countries, especially violations of international lawsuch as the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Hien noted that the situation is not ideal for any nation in the region, including landlocked countries.
ASEANnavies are law enforcement forces, ensuring security at sea, he said,stressing ASEAN member countries’ task of protecting nationalsovereignty and obligations of cooperating and coordinating at sea inthe spirit of solidarity and friendship.
The meeting agreed withthe common view on cooperative potential between ASEAN navies andreached consensus on documents, including orientations for cooperationbetween ASEAN navies, exchanges between ASEAN young naval officers andthe action programme for 2011-2013.
The meeting welcomed Brunei as the host for ANCM-6 in 2012.
Thisyear’s meeting drew the participation of naval chiefs of nine ASEANmember countries and the Lao military attache in Vietnam . /.