Jakarta(VNA) – The17th ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting (ADMM) toꦗok place in Jakarta,Indonesia on ♍November 15, culminating in the adoption of the Jakarta Joint Declarationfor Peace, Prosperity and Security.

A Vietnamese delegation led by Politburo member, ViceSecretary of the Central Military Commission and Minister of National Defence Gen.Phan Van Giang attended the event, proactively contributing to its success. After approving the agenda, the meeting listened tothe ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn’s update on the recent developmentsin ASEAN, and passed the guidelines for the implementation of the observermechanism for Timor-Leste in the ADMM, ADMM and related meetings. Delegates heard a report on the outcomes of the ASEANDefence Senior Officials' Meeting and adopted a number of key concept papers, including the ADMM Work Programme 2023-2026, the Implementation of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific and the Harmonising ADMM and ADMM Initiatives. They also took note of a discussion paper on the use of military assets to maintainfood security in the region. The head delegates approved the draft amendments to the Standard Operating Procedures of ASEAN - Our Eyes Initiative, evaluation of the current cycle of ADMM Experts’Working Groups, and the Concept Paper on the US-ASEAN rising defence leaders’programme. The meeting approved the Jakarta Declaration forPeace, Prosperity and Security, which recognises security threats, geopolitical shifts, and the impact of competition among major powers that mayaffect ASEAN. Thedeclaration emphasises the importance of adhering to the United Nations Charter, the ASEAN Charter, the Treaty ofAmity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC), the Bali Process, as well as internationallaw, maintaining peace, prosperity and security in the region. The document also underscores the importance of maintaining peace, stability and safety in the region and freedom of navigationand overflight in the East Sea, pursuing peaceful means to settle disputes in accordancewith international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Lawof the Sea (UNCLOS). It called for exercising self-restraint and avoidingactivities that could complicate or escalate tensions affecting peace andstability.

Additionally, it urges the ea🐼rly conclusionof an effective, practical and legally binding Code of Conduct in the East Sea(COC) that is in line with international law, including UNCLOS 1982, whileimplementing fully and effectively the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties inthe East Sea (DOC).

It also welcomes current trust building measures such as the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea (CUES), theGuidelines for Air Military Encounters, the Guidelines for Maritime Interaction,the ASEAN Direct Communications Infrastructure, and activities within the DOCframework./.