Lieutenant General Khamlieng Outhakaysone (centre) and other Asean delegates assemble for the defence forces meeting in Vientiane. - Photo: Vientiane Times/ANN
VIENTIANE: Laos and other Asean member countries have agreed to firm up cooperation between their defence forces, during talks held at the 21st Asean Chiefs of Defence Forces Meeting held in Vientiane on Thursday (Sept 5).
Among those attending the meeting were Laos’ Deputy Minister of National Defence Lieutenant General Khamlieng Outhakaysone and army chiefs from Asean members and Timor Leste.
Lieutenant General Khamlieng expressed his appreciation for Indonesia’s successful chairing of last year’s Asean Chiefs of Defence Forces Meeting.
He thanked military commanders from Asean member countries for their attendance, saying this not only showed support for Laos’ Asean chairmanship, but was also a continuation of the strengthening of Asean’s national defence and military cooperation to bolster peace, stability, security and strength across the region.
He highlighted some of the problems currently being experienced in the form of threats to military and non-military security, which he said are complicated and difficult to predict, and involve geopolitical conflicts, superpower competition, climate change, and natural disasters.
These issues have direct and indirect effects on political stability, security, economic matters, and regional and international cooperation, he said.
In response, Asean will continue to step up cooperation through dialogue and identifying measures to deal with these challenges in an efficient and timely manner.
The meeting was viewed as a valuable opportunity to share views on emerging regional and international situations.
Participants discussed the direction of the Asean military cooperation plan and related issues and considered adoption of the Asean military plan for 2024-2026 and the joint statement to be issued by the Asean Chiefs of Defence Forces Meeting. - Vientiane Times/ANN
