NEW DELHI, Dec 10: The defence minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday called upon the member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and its dialogue partners to maintain self-restraint and refrain from any expansionist move that could complicate the situation in the region.
Without taking names of China or Pakistan, Singh while underlining the importance of mutual trust and confidence build on self-restraint issued some words of caution to China for its expansionist adventures leading to army stand-off in Ladakh. He also took a dig at Pakistan for allowing is territory to be used for terror activities directed against India and said terrorism remained the major scourge in the region and the world. He reiterated that the structures that support and sustain terrorism continue to exist, including in India’s neighbourhood. He called for stronger commitment and need to strengthen International mechanism to fight terrorism, jointly and vigorously.
Singh was addressing the 14th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM Plus) organized online at Hanoi, Vietnam on Thursday marking the 10th anniversary of ADMM Plus.
ADMM Plus is an annual meeting of Defence Ministers of 10 ASEAN Countries and eight partner countries. This year marks the 10th year of inception of ADMM Plus forum. A special commemorative 10th Anniversary Celebration was conducted which was attended by the Prime Minister of Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Nguyen Xuan Phuc and the Indian defence minister was extended the privilege to address the celebratory session as a special gesture reflecting India’s recognition by the forum.
ADMM Plus, which includes the 10 members of Asean and its eight dialogue partners Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia and the US, was formed in 2010 to strengthen security and defence cooperation for peace and development in the region. This year the annual meeting was chaired by Vietnam.
Singh’s remarks made during the virtual gathering of the Asean Defence Ministers that was joined by his Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe, came against the backdrop of the India-China standoff in Ladakh. “As we enhance mutual trust and confidence, exercising self-restraint in the conduct of activities and avoiding actions that may further complicate the situation, will go a long way in bringing sustained peace to the region,” Singh said in his address.
During his address, Singh underlined the key role of ASEAN-centric forum in promoting dialogue and engagement towards a pluralistic, cooperative security order in Asia. He highlighted the collective achievements of ADMM Plus in the past decade in advancing multilateral cooperation through strategic dialogue and practical security engagements. He complimented the achievements of the seven Expert Working Groups in sharing best practices in key domains including Maritime Security, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief, Counter-terrorism and Peace Keeping Operations.
He also addressed the thematic discussions during the ADMM plus meeting on the Regional and International Security Environment, where in, he presented India’s perspective. He emphasized that Indo-Pacific region in particular confronts numerous traditional and non-traditional security threats. He recalled the launch of the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in last year’s East Asia Summit and stated that IPOI was an open global initiative which draw on existing regional cooperation architecture and mechanism. He noted the commonality between India’s IPOI and ASEAN Outlook on Indo-Pacific, both being opportunities for cooperation.
He emphasised India’s call for an open and inclusive Indo-Pacific based on respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity of nations, peaceful resolutions of disputes through dialogue and adherence to international laws. He reiterated India’s support to freedom of navigation and over-flight for all in international waters in line with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Pointing to the 10th anniversary of ADMM Plus, Singh said field training and table-top exercises help members of the grouping understand each other and maintain peace. “Our ability to collectively respond to challenges in the region based on the fundamentals of freedom, inclusivity and openness will define our future,” he said.
“Threats to the rules-based order, maritime security, cyber-related crimes and terrorism…remain the challenges that we need to address as a forum,” he added.
ADMM Plus has become a “fulcrum of peace, stability and rules-based order in this region” and India’s concepts of “vasudhaive kutumbakam” or “the whole world is one family” and “sarve bhavantu sukhinah” or “all be at peace” emphasise inclusivity, equality and openness, Singh said.
(Manas Dasgupta)