Beijing (VNA) – Vietnamese Minister ofNational Defence General Ngo Xuan Lich has urged all countries to reinforcecooperation institutions and mechanisms, particularly multilateral ones, tobetter manage international security.

Delivering his remarks at the 8th BeijingXiangshan Forum in the capital city of China on October 25, Lich said multilateralcooperation mechanisms would enable nations to not only seek opportunities formutual development but also solve differences and conflicts.

They should be seen as a new driver to change the world’spolitics and shape the Asia-Pacific’s security structure, he said at theforum’s first plenary session on “International Security Governance: New Ideasand Approaches.”

The minister highlighted the position of the Associationof Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) among regional security cooperationmechanisms and organisations, saying ASEAN has remarkably contributed to themaintenance of peace, stability and cooperation in the region through trustbuilding, preventive diplomacy and conflict management.

The fact that 37 non-ASEAN countries, including world powersand permanent members of the UN Security Council, joined the Treaty of Amityand Cooperation (TAC) in Southeast Asia (TAC) demonstrates the ASEAN’seffectiveness and success in security management in Asia-Pacific, he noted.

Furthermore, the ASEAN has initiated and played a centralrole in security cooperation mechanisms by creating forums to foster dialogueand partnership in tackling common security issues, he said, adding that theASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), East Asia Summit (EAS), ASEAN Defence Ministers’Meeting (ADMM), and ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM ) have provedeffective in trust building as well as conflict management and prevention inthe region.

The minister referred China as one of the bloc’sstrategic partners that has provided active support and made key contributionsto ASEAN-centric mechanisms on security cooperation, like ADMM , with itsinitiatives and specific solutions. He reiterated the ASEAN’s common stance tobolster comprehensive partnership with China for regional peace, stability,friendship, cooperation and development.

One of the ASEAN’s successes is to, together with China,adopt the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and engage in negotiation ofa Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) in an attempt to maintain peace,stability, security and freedom of navigation and aviation in the waters.

Lich further said that as a member of the ASEAN, Vietnamhas placed high value on strengthening intra-bloc solidarity and put forward anumber of initiatives in the group’s security cooperation mechanisms.

Vietnam will assume the ASEAN Chairmanship in 2020 andone of its goals is to step up partnership with ASEAN and non-ASEAN nations toaddress common security threats, particularly non-traditional security challenges,and promote development cooperation for the benefit of each country and forpeace, stability and prosperity in the region and the world, he stressed.

The minister also affirmed Vietnam’s stance to settleterritorial disputes through peaceful measures on the basis of internationallaw, provisions of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) andagreements reached by Vietnamese and Chinese leaders, without using force orthreatening to use force. He said Vietnam wants the two countries to wellmanage existing issues via dialogues to not sabotage their long-standingrelations.

Initiated by the Chinese Academy of Military Science in2006, the Beijing Xiangshan Forum, whose original name was the Xiangshan Forum,has developed into a high-level security and defence forum in Asia-Pacific.This year, it is taking place from October 24– 26 under the theme of “Buildinga New Type of Security Partnership of Equality, Mutual Trust and Win-WinCooperation”.

The 8th edition focuses discussions on varioustopics, namely International Security Governance, Global Terrorism – Threatsand Countermeasures, Maritime Security Cooperation – Reality and Vision, UNPeacekeeping – Challenges and Cooperation, and others.–VNA