MALAYSIA, LANGKAWI, Monday 16 March 2015 - The 9th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting (9th ADMM) was held today at The Langkawi International Convention Centre (LICC), chaired by His Excellency Dato’ Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, Minister of Defence, Malaysia.
Representing His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzadin Waddaulah, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam to the 9th ADMM was Yang Berhormat Pehin Datu Singamanteri Colonel (Rtd) Dato Seri Setia (Dr) Awang Haji Mohd Yasmin Haji Umar, Minister of Energy at the Prime Minister’s Office.
During the Meeting, the ADMM Leaders were briefed on the recent developments in ASEAN, the outcomes of the ASEAN Defence Senior Officials’ Meeting, the ASEAN Defence Senior Officials’ Meeting-Plus, as well as the 12th ASEAN Chiefs of Defence Forces Informal Meeting held in February 2015 in Kuala Lumpur.
The ADMM Leaders adopted three new concept papers, namely ASEAN Militaries Ready Group on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief, Guidelines to Respond to the Request for Informal Engagements or Meetings by the ADMM-Plus Countries, and Concept Paper on the Establishment of the ASEAN Center of Military Medicine. The Meeting also endorsed the Standard Operating Procedure of the Utilisation of Military Assets for Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) under the Framework of the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Relief (AADMER).
The ADMM Leaders also exchanged views on regional and international security and defence issues. Most expressed concerns on non-traditional security challenges, including extremism and terrorism, maritime security, natural disasters, infectious diseases, and cyber security. In that regards, the ADMM Leaders stressed the importance of cooperation within and outside ASEAN in dealing with these issues, such as search and rescue, counter-piracy and humanitarian mine action. The Ministers also expressed the importance of the ADMM platform, as well as its significant progress since its inception in 2006.
The Meeting was followed by the signing of the Joint Declaration of the ASEAN Defence Ministers on Maintaining Regional Security and Stability for and by the People.