Sen. Lieut. Gen. Nguyen Tan Cuong, Chief of the General Staff of the Viet Nam People’s Army and Deputy Minister of National Defence, attended the 19^th ASEAN Chiefs of Defence Forces’ Meeting (ACDFM-19), as part of his visit to Cambodia from March 17 – 19.

Sen. Lieut. Gen. Nguyen Tan Cuong, Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army and Deputy Minister of National Defence, attends the 19th ASEAN Chiefs of Defence Forces’ Meeting (ACDFM-19) in Cambodia on March 17. (Photo: VNA)

The in-person event kicked off on March 17 morning under the presidency of Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) Gen. Vong Pisen.

The host stressed this is the first time leaders of ASEAN forces could meet face to face after the COVID-19 situation in Cambodia has eased, the Cambodian News Agency AKP reported.

This meeting is held under theme “Solidarity for Peace and Harmony”, which emphasises the importance of the military role and efforts under the principle of ASEAN Centrality to address the traditional and non-traditional security issues, especially the pandemic, and to be ready for future challenges by achieving regional peace, stability, harmony and common interests through cooperation and mechanisms that are acceptable from all parties.

Gen. Vong Pisen also expressed his hope that through the meeting, the ASEAN forces will continue to discuss and exchange views, share information and new initiatives in an open and friendly manner in order to effectively achieve fruitful results in strengthening cooperation and unity in Southeast Asia.

This regional meeting is taking place with the participation of chiefs of defence from all ASEAN member states, namely Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam.

Source: VNA