Defence Minister Rajnath Singh attends ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus

The Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on December 10, 2020, participated in ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting- Plus (ADMM-Plus) and pointed the need to continue the efforts of addressing threats of bio-terrorism.

In his address, in a veiled reference to China’s aggressive military behaviour, the union minister stated that exercising self-restraint in the conduct of activities as well as to avoid actions that can further complicate the situation will go a long way in bringing peace to the region.

The Union Minister’s comment can be seen in the light of the military stand-off between India and China in Eastern Ladakh as well as China’s expansionist behaviour in the Indo-Pacific and the South China Sea. As per the officials, Chinese Defence Minister Wei Fenghe was also among those who attended the virtual meet.

Delighted to address the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting- Plus on the 10th anniversary of its foundation.

We appreciate the central role of ASEAN-led forums, including ADMM Plus in promoting dialogue and engagement towards a pluralistic, cooperative security order in Asia. pic.twitter.com/9t58uuGogy

— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) December 10, 2020

Defence Minister during ADMM-Plus: Highlights

• While addressing ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus, the Defence Minister Rajnath Singh talked about the current regional environment which has visible stains.

• He appreciated the role of the ASEAN-led forum, which includes ADMM-Plus in promoting the engagement and dialogue towards security order in Asia.

• The Union Minister mentioned that the ability of grouping to respond collectively to challenges based on inclusivity, freedom, openness in the region will define its future.

• While highlighting the challenges, such as maritime security, threats to the rules-based order, terrorism, cyber-related crimes, the minister noted the need of addressing them as a forum.

• Mentioning that the concept of ‘sarve bhavantu sukhinah’ meaning ‘all be at peace’ and ‘vasudhaive kutumbakam’ which means that ‘whole world is one family’ is at the core of Indian civilization, therefore equality, inclusivity are principles that underline the concept.

The ADMM Plus has grown to become the fulcrum of peace, stability and rules based order in this region.

The concepts of ‘vasudhaive kutumbakam’ – ‘the whole world is one family and ‘sarve bhavantu sukhinah’ – ‘all be at peace’ are the core of the Indian civilization.

— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) December 10, 2020

• In his address, he also called for the efforts of addressing transnational trafficking, bio-terrorism, and pandemics. The Union Minister emphasized building capacity to address the challenges.

Need to confront challenges of COVID-19 pandemic:

The Defence Minister in his address underlined that among the new challenges that emerged, the coronavirus pandemic has changed the world and had left us problems to overcome. He added that the disruptive impact of the pandemic is still unfolding.

He mentioned that the challenge is to make sure that the world economy moves on the path of recovery.

About ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting- Plus:

It is a platform for the Association of southeast Asian Nations- ASEAN and its 8 dialogue partners for defence cooperation, strengthening security, development, and stability in the region.

Besides the 10 countries, ADMM-Plus also includes China, Australia, India, Russia, Japan, New Zealand, the United States, and the Republic of Korea. In 2010, the inaugural session of the meeting was convened in Hanoi.