BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Wednesday 28 August 2013 – The ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Retreat (ADMM Retreat) was held today at the Royal Brunei Golf and Country Club, Jerudong. The Retreat was chaired by Yang Berhormat Pehin Datu Singamanteri Colonel (Retd) Dato Seri Setia (Dr) Awang Haji Mohammad Yasmin bin Haji Umar, Minister of Energy at the Prime Minister’s Office.
At the Retreat, the ASEAN Defence Ministers and the Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN had extensive discussions on the prevailing regional and international defence and security issues. Ministers also stressed the importance of defence cooperation in building an ASEAN Political-Security Community by 2015 and beyond.
In that regard, they reiterated their commitment to address these defence and security challenges collectively through cooperation in the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) and the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) mechanisms. Ministers agreed to continue working on addressing non-traditional security challenges such as in the area of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) and maritime security.
The Retreat was also focusing on how to further develop and enhance the ADMM and ADMM-Plus process. They suggested new areas to be explored such as cyber security, and look into the synergy between defence and security cooperation.
The Ministers also agreed to enhance confidence building measures by developing practical measures, such as open lines of communications, to reduce miscalculations and misunderstanding, particularly with regard to incidents at sea.
Ministers viewed that growing military-to-military relations remains the main thrust of defence cooperation. They agreed that interactions at all levels would further foster a sense of belonging, reaffirm commitment towards shared responsibility and embed a regional identity. The Ministers further noted Brunei Darussalam’s intention to host a defence dialogue for young defence and military officials.
The Ministers also stressed on the importance of ASEAN centrality in driving the ADMM process. In this regard, Ministers agreed to stock take the progressof the ADMM especially in light of the 10th anniversary of the ADMM in 2015, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
