MANILA: The defence ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and eight dialogue partners will convene in the Philippines next month to discuss fighting terrorism, drug trafficking and maritime conflicts, China’s Xinhua news agency reported the Philippine defence chief as saying on Thursday.
Philippine Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said that ministers will also discuss ways to mitigate climate change and cushion its impact on the region.
“We are going to have some statements with Asean countries but we are also having dialogues with our eight other dialogue partners,” Lorenzana told reporters.
He described the forthcoming high-level security meeting, dubbed the Asean Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus), as “a huge conference” that is hoped to address issues that threaten peace and security of the region.
“We will be talking about common interests. Number one in the list, of course, is terrorism. Number two is the illicit drugs. And we are also in an area ravaged by calamities, so disaster management will also be discussed,” he said.
The Philippines is the chair of Asean this year.
Lorenzana will chair the ADMM-Plus to be held on Oct 13 to 14 in Clark in Pampanga province, north of Manila.
The ADMM-Plus countries include 10 Asean member states and eight Plus countries namely China, Japan, South Korea, the United States, Russia, India, Australia and New Zealand. -- BERNAMA