Defense chiefs of South Korea, United States, Japan, the Philippines and Australia discussed multilateral cooperation on the sidelines of an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) defense ministerial meeting in Laos.
In their first joint meeting held in Vientiane, the defense chiefs “emphasized their shared commitment to advancing a vision for a free, open, secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific region where international law and sovereignty are respected,” according to Seoul’s defense ministry.
The participants were South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani, Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro and Australian Minister for Defense Industry Pat Conroy.
The five sides underscored the importance of close multilateral cooperation to support security and stability in the region, the centrality and unity of ASEAN and the significance of ASEAN-led regional mechanisms.
Furthermore, the ministers and secretaries highlighted the progress made in strengthening defense cooperation and reaffirmed their commitment to future collaboration.
Kim and Nakatani also held a separate one-on-one meeting. They strongly condemned the comprehensive military cooperation between Russia and North Korea, including the deployment of North Korean troops to Russia.
