ADMM+ Imprint and Prime Minister's Keynote Speech

Ambassador Pham Quang Vinh (former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs) shared: In 2010, when Vietnam assumed the ASEAN Chairmanship, a question arose as to whether the East Asia Summit could be expanded or not. At that time, the implication was to invite the US and Russia to become members with the hope that in this region, ASEAN could work with all major countries.

Ambassador Pham Quang Vinh and Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh in a meeting with their American counterparts. Photo: Provided by Ambassador Pham Quang Vinh

The defense side also has a determination to initiate the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting Plus (ADMM+) process, which includes 10 ASEAN countries and 8 partner countries, including major countries such as the US, China and Russia.

It sounds simple, but if you think back 13 years ago, it was not easy, when there was friction and competition between major countries.

“As an assistant to senior leaders in two channels: defense foreign affairs and diplomacy foreign affairs, we share with each other. Mr. Vinh said: You work in politics, your foreign affairs at ASEAN are working with seniors, so you have to create a favorable political framework to be able to connect major countries to this region. When major countries cooperate with ASEAN, the role of the bloc is enhanced, making it more favorable to create a peaceful, stable and developing environment.

Expansion also comes with the complexity of competition between major countries, so how to reconcile them, so both the political channel and the defense channel need to be coordinated. Mr. Vinh proposed to the Central Military Commission, the Ministry of National Defense and competent authorities how to build unified cooperation among defense forces in the ASEAN community. That is why Vietnam has taken the initiative to establish the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting - ADMM and ADMM+," Ambassador Pham Quang Vinh recounted.

As a result, ASEAN 2010 is a breakthrough ASEAN in global connectivity and cooperation, with the first participation of world powers.

It is particularly important that the ADMM+ initiative was proposed a few years ago but not yet approved due to lack of consensus among the countries. In 2010, the parties agreed to launch and convene the first ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting Plus (ADMM+). ADMM+ became the leading and regular strategic dialogue mechanism of ASEAN Defense Ministers and key partners on defense and security issues, contributing to expanding ASEAN cooperation with partners (at that time mainly political and economic).

“The second story was in 2013, when the Vietnamese Prime Minister was invited to give a keynote speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue (the most important security and defense forum in Asia). This was perhaps the first time in the history of the forum that a Vietnamese leader gave an important speech as the keynote speaker.

How can both diplomatic and defense channels coordinate to clearly convey Vietnam's message about building strategic trust for peace and cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region as well as our defense policy? And 10 years ago, the Prime Minister's speech caused a big echo. On the basis of the coordination channels, Mr. Vinh's role is very important," the former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs assessed.

Photo: Provided by Ambassador Pham Quang Vinh

Dedicated, straightforward and sincere colleague

According to Ambassador Pham Quang Vinh, the current remarkable progress in Vietnam-US relations cannot be attributed to efforts to overcome the consequences of war.

“And Mr. Vinh is an extremely dedicated person. I remember in the discussions, he said that, despite differences, we must join hands and cooperate with each other. This is humanity. This is a matter of historical responsibility. Overcoming the consequences of war is a task that must be done, done to the end.

Ambassador Pham Quang Vinh, Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh and US Senator Patrick Leahy and his wife. Photo: Provided by Ambassador Pham Quang Vinh

I had the opportunity to visit the Center of the US Department of Defense Prisoner of War and Missing in Action Accounting Agency in Hawaii. The generals in charge of this Center all said that the cooperation between the Vietnamese Ministry of Defense and the US is exemplary in overcoming the consequences of war. Mr. Vinh is the one who strongly directs this work, even during the past 3 years of the Covid pandemic, when the US could not send people to Vietnam to coordinate, we still continued the program to search for the remains of missing Americans.

Therefore, over the past 50 years, the search for American soldiers missing in action has become a model in cooperation to overcome the consequences of war between Vietnam and the US, contributing to building a symbol of reconciliation between the two former enemies," said the Ambassador.

As for the US, how can they support Vietnam in both a humanitarian and a responsible role? Ambassador Pham Quang Vinh said:

“I remember Mr. Vinh had a very good saying. He said: 'The US just needs to help us, no matter what name it is, be it humanitarian or helping Vietnam develop, the most important thing is still contributing to the effort to handle and overcome the consequences of the war caused by the US in Vietnam.' The big projects on clearing and removing bombs and mines, helping war victims and especially the two projects to detoxify Bien Hoa airport and Da Nang airport cannot be without Mr. Vinh's mark.

In the story of overcoming the consequences of war, the key figures in the US that I met highly appreciated Chi Vinh's dedication, contributions and straightforward but sincere approach.

For example, Senator Patrick Leahy, who served as President of the Senate, was instrumental in creating funds and promoting projects to overcome the consequences of the Vietnam War, including the cleanup of two airports. General Vinh became a close friend of him and his wife.

Senator Patrick Leahy considered Mr. Vinh an indispensable partner in the joint effort to resolve the consequences of war in Vietnam. In 2019, when he was in the US on business, Mr. Vinh gave Mr. Leahy a special gift - a box of soil taken from the Da Nang airport after the dioxin cleanup project - which moved him.

Ambassador Pham Quang Vinh and Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh in a meeting with US Senator John McCain. Photo: Provided by Ambassador Pham Quang Vinh

The second was with Senator John McCain. I remember he was the Vietnamese Ambassador in Washington DC at that time. I welcomed Mr. Vinh in October 2017. General Vinh brought with him a set of documents found in various archives, related to the period when Mr. John McCain was a prisoner of war in Vietnam.

Mr. Vinh gave this special keepsake to Senator McCain. He received it, was moved, trembled and cried when he saw the handwritten letters he sent to his family, or the diary entries when he was a prisoner of war in Vietnam...

Mr. Vinh's sincerity has won the hearts of his co-workers.

According to Ambassador Pham Quang Vinh, there are several notable points about Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh's vision:

Always take Vietnam's interests as the center of its perspective on issues occurring in the region and the world.

Always focus on peace in its strategy, ensuring a peaceful environment for Vietnam.

Is extremely determined in protecting territorial sovereignty and sea and islands.

“We are peers, have worked together a lot, and have a close personal relationship through work. Mr. Vinh is a talented, sharp person, and a person who passionately loves Vietnam,” Ambassador Pham Quang Vinh emotionally expressed.

Vietnamnet.vn