22nd ASEAN Defence Chiefs Meeting held in Malaysia
MALAYSIA hosted the 22nd
ASEAN Chiefs of Defence Forces Meeting (22nd
ACDFM) and its related meetings on the morning of 9 September at
the InterContinental Hotel in Kuala Lumpur.
On behalf of Chairman of the State
Security and Peace Commission and Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services
Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, a Myanmar Tatmadaw delegation headed by Chief
of Staff (Army) Lt-Gen Than Htike from the office of the Commander-in-Chief
(Army) attended the 15th ASEAN
Military Operations Meeting - 15th AMOM
and the 22nd ASEAN Military
Intelligence Meeting – 22nd AMIM.
At the opening session, Chief of Defence
Forces of Malaysia General Tan Sri Haji Mohd Nizam bin Haji Jaffar, who chaired
the 22nd ACDFM, delivered
opening remarks. This was followed by reports of outcomes from the 22nd AMIM by Lieutenant-General
Dato’ Mohd Razali bin Alias, Chief of Defence Intelligence of the Malaysian
Armed Forces, and from the 15th AMOM
by Major-General Dato’ Indera Zahari bin Mohd Ariffin, Deputy Chief of Staff
(Operations and Training), Malaysian Armed Forces.
Chiefs of Defence Forces and delegates
from ASEAN countries then held discussions under the theme “ASEAN Unity for
Security and Prosperity” in alphabetical order of their respective nations.
Speaking at the meeting, Lt- Gen Than
Htike highlighted that unity among ASEAN member states is the key foundation
for continuous progress and development. He also addressed in detail the
importance of unity for ASEAN’s security and prosperity.
The meeting approved the Two-Year Work
Plan (2025–2027) for ASEAN militaries and endorsed the Joint Statement of the
22nd ACDFM. Chiefs of Defence Forces signed the statement and posed for a
commemorative group photo.
Afterwards, General Tan Sri Haji Mohd
Nizam bin Haji Jaffar delivered the closing remarks, and the chairmanship of
the ACDFM was officially handed over to General Romeo Saturnino Brawner Jr,
Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, who will host the 23rd ACDFM.
In the afternoon, the Myanmar Tatmadaw
delegation led by Lt-Gen Than Htike held separate bilateral meetings with
General Tan Sri Haji Mohd Nizam bin Haji Jaffar, Chief of Defence Forces of
Malaysia; General Ukris Boontanondha, Deputy Chief of Defence Forces of the
Royal Thai Armed Forces; Major-General Saichai Kommasith, Deputy Minister of
National Defence and Chief of General Staff of the Lao People’s Armed Forces;
and General Vong Pisen, Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed
Forces.
During these meetings, the parties
discussed ways to strengthen friendly relations and enhance military cooperation
between their respective countries. They also exchanged commemorative gifts.
Meanwhile, the related meetings – the 15th AMOM held at the
InterContinental Hotel and the 22nd AMIM
held at the Shangri-La Hotel in Kuala Lumpur on 8 September – were attended
by Myanmar delegations. The meetings helped reaffirm commitments to
strengthening ties and cooperation among ASEAN militaries. — MNA/KZL
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