A delegation from the Vietnam People's Army headed by Sen. Lieut. Gen. Nguyen Van Nghia, Deputy Chief of the General Staff, took part in the 26th ASEAN Chiefs of Army Multilateral Meeting and the closing ceremony of the 33rd ASEAN Armies Rifle Meet in Singapore from November 25-28.
ACAMM-26, held under the theme “Building Regional Cooperation in Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR)”, brought together the army chiefs of all 10 ASEAN member states.
Delegates discussed ways to enhance cooperation in addressing climate change, natural disasters, and military-civil coordination in HADR operations. They shared the view that humanitarian support and disaster relief are common responsibilities of ASEAN armies, contributing to a peaceful, stable, cooperative and developing region. The meeting adopted a thematic joint statement affirming stronger regional cooperation in HADR.
Addressing the meeting, Nghia highlighted the relevance of the conference theme in the context that climate change and natural disasters have become increasingly unpredictable. Extreme weather events, including storms, floods, landslides and inundation, are occurring with greater speed and intensity, causing severe human and material losses.
As the first force to be deployed in disaster prevention, response and relief, ASEAN armies play an indispensable role, he noted.
He shared the Vietnam People’s Army’s practical experience in disaster response and humanitarian operations, stressing that HADR is a noble mission rooted in compassion and moral responsibility - an unspoken but sacred duty of ASEAN armies.
He called on ASEAN armies to enhance experience-sharing, strengthen climate adaptation capabilities, improve joint disaster response preparedness, and maximise existing ASEAN multilateral and inter-sectoral cooperation mechanisms, contributing to ASEAN unity and the realisation of the “One ASEAN, One Response” vision.
He affirmed that as a responsible member of ASEAN and the international community, the Vietnam People’s Army will continue to participate actively and constructively in ASEAN defence cooperation, particularly army-to-army collaboration, to effectively address emerging challenges and promote regional peace, stability and sustainable development.
On the sidelines of ACAMM-26, Nghia held bilateral meetings with the heads of delegations of Singapore, Thailand and Brunei, and exchanges with other ASEAN army leaders. Partners praised the role of the VPA and expressed interest in strengthening cooperation in high-level delegation exchanges, training, cybersecurity, and HADR.
At the closing ceremony of AARM-33, he met and commended the Vietnamese shooting team for their outstanding performance, winning 32 medals, including 12 golds./.
