• Vietnam backs the building of nuclear weapon free Southeast Asia

This was emphasized by General Phung Quang Thanh, Minister of National Defence, at the sixth ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting, which closed in Cambodia on May 29.

In response to non-traditional security challenges, General Thanh said Vietnam has cooperated closely with other ASEAN member countries and China in combating natural disasters, cross-border drug smuggling and human trafficking.

He warned of other social issues such as the increasing rate of unemployment, the widening gap between rich and poor and risks of unstable life caused by land grabs.

General Thanh said Vietnam has always paid due attention to ensuring social welfare, caring for poor people, and ethnic people in remote areas, and the number of poor households is reduced by two percent every year.

Regarding complex developments in the East Sea, General Thanh asked concerned parties to restrain themselves and conduct peaceful negotiations in line with international laws, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Parties should fully implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) towards the building of a Code of Conduct (COC) in the East Sea.

General Thanh reaffirmed Vietnam’s policy of conducting bilateral negotiations to settle disputes between the two sides.

Disputes involving many countries and parties should be settled multilaterally, he said.

The Vietnamese Minister of Defence proposed strengthening bilateral and multilateral military cooperation in the ADMM and ADMM plus mechanisms to build mutual trust and prevent conflicts.

The Meeting adopted the concept paper reviewing the frequency of ADMM-Plus Meetings and a joint declaration reaffirming their commitment to enhance regional peace and security.