Dr Ng: ASEAN's Collective Action Essential to Ensure Regional Peace, Stability and Progress

Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen delivering his speech for the 6th Putrajaya Forum, held concurrently with the 17th Defence Services Asia Exhibition and Conference in Kuala Lumpur.

Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen is in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to attend the 17th Defence Services Asia Exhibition and Conference (DSA) and 6th Putrajaya Forum.

Dr Ng spoke at the first plenary session of the Putrajaya Forum on the topic of "Broadening Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific: Prospects and Possibilities", alongside Philippine Secretary for National Defense Delfin Lorenzana. Citing COVID-19 and the Ukraine-Russia conflict as two epochal events that have transformed the world, Dr Ng stressed the importance of regional cooperation to tackle key security challenges, such as supply chain disruptions caused by COVID-19, geo-political rivalry, and terrorism and cyberattacks.

He highlighted three ways that the ASEAN can tackle these security challenges collectively: (i) by respecting the primacy of each and every country's sovereignty and territorial integrity; (ii) by continuing to adopt cooperative frameworks; and (iii) by encouraging dialogue and building mutual trust through established multilateral platforms, such as the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting (ADMM)/ADMM-Plus.

"COVID-19 and the Ukraine-Russia conflict have had an impact globally, and far beyond the security realm. There are common threads from both that we can draw lessons to develop or strengthen existing initiatives to make our regions, or ASEAN, at least, more resilient… We must take collective action to address them, in order to ensure that peace, stability and progress continue in our region and beyond." said Dr Ng.

Singapore participates actively in international security conferences, and our participation in the Putrajaya Forum underscores the warm and long-standing bilateral defence relations between Singapore and Malaysia.

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Speech by Minister for Defence, Dr Ng Eng Hen, at the 6th Putrajaya Forum Session 1 on "Broadening Security Cooperation in the Asia-Pacific: "Prospects and Possibilities"