Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Minister of Defence II Pehin Datu Lailaraja Major General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Awang Haji Halbi bin Haji Mohd Yussof led the Brunei delegation at the 18th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) held at the National Convention Centre, Vientiane, Laos.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence of Laos General Chansamone Chanyalath, in his capacity as the Chairman of ADMM for 2024, chaired the meeting.

Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Defence (MinDef) Brigadier General (Rtd) Dato Seri Pahlawan Haji Alirupendi bin Haji Perudin, along with officers from the MinDef were also in the delegation. Ambassador of Brunei Darussalam to Laos Haji Roslan bin Haji Yacub was also present. The 18th ADMM, held under the theme ‘Together for Peace, Security and Resilience’, observed the adoption of various deliverables, including an Observership Protocol for ADMM-Plus EWGs and the approval of A Future Ready ADMM and ADMM-Plus: Strategy Paper, co-authored by Brunei Darussalam and Singapore.

A key achievement of the meeting was the adoption of the Vientiane Joint Declaration on Together for Peace, Security and Resilience.

On the sidelines of the 18th ADMM, one separate event was conducted, the ASEAN-United States Defence Ministers’ Informal Meeting. Brunei Darussalam also held bilateral meeting with Laos, the Chairman of the 18th ADMM. Laos will also host the 11th ADMM-Plus today.

-- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin