| James Kon |
REPRESENTING His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, in His Majesty’s capacity as the Minister of Defence, Pehin Datu Singamanteri Colonel (Rtd) Dato Seri Setia (Dr) Awang Haji Mohammad Yasmin bin Haji Umar, Minister of Energy and Industry at the Prime Minister’s Office attended the Asean Defence Ministers’ Meeting Retreat (ADMM Retreat) hosted this year in Don Chan Palace Hotel, Vientiane in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic recently.
The ADMM Retreat and the Informal Meeting with Japan were attended by Asean Defence Ministers and senior defence officials.
At the ADMM Retreat, the Asean defence ministers discussed several key security challenges facing the region and highlighted their growing concerns at a time of uncertainty.
Noting the unpredictable nature of the security environment, the defence ministers agreed to step up practical cooperation between militaries to build higher levels of confidence and trust with each other, and one of initiatives include the establishment of a Direct Communications Link (DCL) which is intended to keep open lines of communications between defence ministers in emergency situations or crises.
Minister of Energy and Industry at the Prime Minister’s Office Pehin Datu Singamanteri Colonel (Rtd) Dato Seri Setia (Dr) Awang Haji Mohammad Yasmin bin Haji Umar with Asean Defence Ministers in a group photo. – MINDEF
The DCL initiative has received widespread support from all Asean member states, and as a result of the full commitment and work achieved by all 10 nations, the initial phase of the DCL was demonstrated during the ADMM Retreat.
The Asean member states also reiterated the importance of the principle of Asean centrality in order to address the dynamic security environment. At the conclusion of the retreat, the Asean Defence Ministers witnessed the handing over of the ADMM Chairmanship to the Philippines which will begin in 2017.
The Asean-Japan Defence Ministers’ Informal Meeting was convened following the ADMM Retreat.
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