Fact Sheet: Joint Declaration by the ADMM-Plus Defence Ministers on Defence Cooperation to Strengthen Solidarity for a Harmonised Security

The Ninth ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (hereinafter referred to as “ADMM-Plus”) was convened in Siem Reap, Kingdom of Cambodia on 23 November 2022;

RECOGNISING the unprecedented challenges endured by our region and the world as well as the implications of current and emerging traditional and non-traditional threats including the transboundary nature of cybersecurity, chemical, biological and radiological (CBR) threats, terrorism, public health emergencies including the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as natural disasters including those exacerbated by climate change. These require all ADMM-Plus countries to deepen practical cooperation to find innovative approaches to prevent and address common security threats in effective and efficient ways;

NOTING the importance of ASEAN defence establishments’ contributions to the whole-of-government efforts to address the challenge of the global communicable and infectious diseases, including COVID-19 pandemic and stressing the important role of the ADMM-Plus Experts’ Working Group (EWG) on Military Medicine, the ASEAN Center of Military Medicine (ACMM) and the Network of ASEAN CBR Defence Experts as collective regional efforts to combat spread of current and future pandemics;

REAFFIRMING the belief that regionalism and multilateralism are important principles and frameworks of open and inclusive cooperation based on mutual benefit, mutual respect, and in accordance with international law, in particular the practical cooperation within the framework of ADMM-Plus, to address common security concerns;

REAFFIRMING our commitment to promoting sustainable peace and security in the region by reinforcing strategic trust and mutual confidence within ASEAN and in the wider region through enhancing collaboration and dialogues under ASEAN-led mechanisms, particularly the ADMM-Plus framework in accordance with the principles set out in the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP);

FURTHER UNDERSCORING the significance of the ADMM-Plus as a key component of a robust, effective and open regional security architecture that contributes to trust and confidence-building as well as practical defence and security cooperation between ASEAN Member States and Plus Countries in response to common security threats in the region, while upholding ASEAN Centrality and unity;

REITERATING our joint commitment to promoting the cohesiveness and responsiveness of ASEAN in adapting to geopolitical and geostrategic shifts through the strengthening of practical defence cooperation among ASEAN Member States as well as with the Plus Countries, including through enhancing information-sharing, conducting multilateral military exercises and practising confidence-building measures, such as the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea (CUES);

ACKNOWLEDGING the achievements and on-going progress of practical cooperation under ADMM-Plus EWGs, namely Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief, Maritime Security, Military Medicine, Counter-Terrorism, Peacekeeping Operations, Humanitarian Mine Action and Cyber Security. The interaction within the framework of ADMM-Plus EWGs have contributed immensely to trust and confidence-building, capacity development, and interoperability enhancement amongst ADMM-Plus countries, in order to address common security challenges to ensure the stability of the region. The strength of ADMM-Plus EWGs should continue to be based around the sharing of factual information and best practices among ADMM-Plus countries. The ADMM-Plus EWGs should not be exploited with misinformation and political agendas and must continue to focus on advancing practical cooperation among ADMM-Plus countries in the spirit of partnership and confidence-building;

NOTING the successful conduct of the ASEAN-Russia Naval Exercise (ARNEX) in 2021 held in Belawan Waters in Medan, Indonesia and other practical military cooperation activities with Plus Countries that continue to reflect the ADMM-Plus’ relevance to the region, while strengthening ASEAN Centrality in regional security architecture and enhancing mutual trust and confidence;

WELCOMING the development of ADMM initiatives putting in place practical cooperation amongst ASEAN Member States to prevent miscalculation and respond to regional security threats. We reaffirm our respect and adherence to international law including treaties and conventions, as well as other similar commitments of member states within ADMM-Plus, which encourage safe and professional military interactions, prevent armed conflict and promote the peaceful resolution of disputes;

REAFFIRMING ASEAN as the driving force within the ADMM-Plus, working in close partnership with the Plus Countries, and guided by a spirit of fostering collective responsibility and to continuously strive to promote trust;

DO HEREBY DECLARE TO:

STRENGTHEN our collective efforts and practical cooperation to mitigate the impact of the current and emerging, traditional and non-traditional threats including pandemic, terrorism, violent extremism conducive to terrorism, natural disasters including those exacerbated by climate change, and maritime security challenges;

PROMOTE peace, security, stability, and prosperity in the region, including through the deepening of relations and effective practical cooperation, the adherence to the rule of law, good governance, the principles of democracy and constitutional government, respect for and the promotion of fundamental freedoms, and the promotion and protection of human rights, the right of every state to lead its national existence free from external interference, subversion or coercion, non-interference in the internal affairs of one another, settlement of disputes by peaceful means; renunciation of the threat or use of force, and other principles and purposes enshrined in the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC), the United Nations (UN) Charter, and the 2011 Declaration of the East Asia Summit on the Principles of Mutually Beneficial Relations (Bali Principles), and noting that the political stability in ASEAN Member States is essential to achieving a peaceful, stable, and prosperous ASEAN Community;

REAFFIRM the importance of maintaining and promoting peace, security, stability, prosperity, safety, and freedom of navigation and overflight as well as the need to enhance mutual trust and confidence, exercise self-restraint in the conduct of activities and avoid actions that may further complicate the situation, and pursue peaceful resolution of disputes, without coercion, in accordance with international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea;

MAINTAIN the importance of putting in place practical confidence-building measures that could reduce tensions and the risk of accidents, misunderstandings and miscalculation for maritime security by exercising such as the CUES and implementing the 1972 Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGs) to ensure a peaceful environment conducive to sustainable development and prosperity in the region;

ENHANCE the spirit of solidarity and cooperation within ASEAN and with the Plus Countries in order to realise a harmonised security to promote peace, stability, prosperity, and resilience against current and emerging security challenges in the region;

WELCOME the expansion of the ASEAN Direct Communications Infrastructure in the ADMM Process to the Plus Countries which will strengthen strategic cooperation as well as provide a platform for engagement in dialogue and enhancing transparency, regional confidence, and security building measures, especially in the time of the pandemic;

STRENGTHEN our collective efforts to promote a cohesive and responsive region in adapting to emerging challenges of traditional and non-traditional security through increasing practical defence cooperation and dialogue amongst ADMM-Plus countries to tackle those security challenges under the guiding principles reflected in the ASEAN Charter, the TAC, Bali Principles, and reconfirmed in the AOIP, including the principles of strengthening ASEAN Centrality, openness, transparency, inclusivity, good governance, respect for sovereignty, non-intervention, complementarity with existing cooperation frameworks, equality, mutual respect, mutual trust, mutual benefit, and respect for international law where the AOIP is intended to enhance ASEAN Community-building process and not aimed at creating new mechanisms or replacing existing ones;

STRENGTHEN women’s meaningful participation in peace and security cooperation, in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1325 and taking into account the ASEAN Leaders’ Joint Statement on Promoting the Women, Peace, and Security Agenda;

WELCOME the ADMM-Plus CBR Conference which promotes dialogue and cooperation within the ADMM-Plus and enhance countries’ ability to deal with the common challenge of CBR threats;

WELCOME Indonesia’s chairing of ASEAN and its hosting of the 17th ADMM and the 10th ADMM-Plus in 2023;

DONE on this Twenty-Third Day of November in the Year Two Thousand and Twenty-Two, in a single original copy in the English language.

More Resources

ADMM-Plus Defence Ministers Commit to Multilateral Cooperation to Peaceful and Stable Region at 9th ADMM-Plus