Visit To Hanoi For Asean-plus Defence Ministers' Meeting

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13th October 2010, 09:39pm - Views: 959





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  Mr Smith’s Office: Jenny Da Rin (02) 6277 7800

Department: (02) 6127 1999


MEDIA RELEASE

Stephen Smith MP

Minister for Defence


M E D I A  R E L E A S E



MR 15/10                                      






        13 October 2010




Visit to Hanoi for ASEAN-Plus Defence Ministers' Meeting



I visited Hanoi from Monday 11 - Wednesday 13 October 2010 to participate in the inaugural ASEAN-

Plus Defence Ministers' Meeting (ADMM+).


By involving all members of the East Asia Summit, together with the United States and Russia, the

ADMM+ strengthens trust and cooperation on peace and security matters throughout the Asia-Pacific

region.


Ministers agreed to the establishment of Expert Working Groups for issues including counter-

terrorism, humanitarian and disaster relief, maritime security, and peacekeeping.  This will build

momentum and ensure progress on these matters between Ministerial meetings of the ADMM+.


Together with Malaysia, Australia will co-chair the Expert Working Group on Maritime Security.  As

Co-chair, Australia will work with other members of the ADMM+ to harmonise regional

understanding of international maritime law, promote mutual understanding of maritime capability, and

agree upon measures to reduce the risk of misunderstanding.


In addition to participating in the ADMM+, I held bilateral meetings with my Ministerial counterparts

who attended, including US Secretary of Defense Gates, Japanese Defence Minister Kitazawa, Chinese

Defence Minister Liang, Indian Defence Minister Antony and Indonesian Defence Minister

Yusgiantoro.  I discussed ways in which Australia can strengthen bilateral defence relationships with

regional partners.


Reflecting the growing bilateral defence cooperation between Australia and Vietnam, I signed a

Memorandum of Understanding on Defence Cooperation with Vietnamese Defence Minister General

Thanh.


Australia welcomes the establishment of the ADMM+, which further strengthens our region’s peace

and security architecture.


Australia has been a reliable partner of ASEAN for over 30 years, and an active participant in ASEAN-

related meetings, including the ASEAN Regional Forum and the East Asia Summit.














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