Shangri-La Dialogue promotes regional links to deal with security challenges

 The 16th Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on June 4 wrapped up after the three-day sitting, giving commitments to fostering regional cooperation, towards effectively coping with regional security challenges.

The event, which saw the participation of over 500 participants from more than 40 countries, including defence ministers and senior officials from the US, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand, stressed the need to maintain peace and security in Southeast Asia on the basis of respecting international commitments and law.

Issues related to the East Sea, maritime security, nuclear security in the Democratic Republic of Korea (DPRK), terrorism prevention and cyber attack were straightly tabled at the dialogue.

Participants focused their discussion on synchronous measures to address regional security challenges in line with international law, while agreeing to join hands to deal with traditional and non-traditional security challenges. 

The dialogue also highlighted the undeniable role played by big countries in ensuring regional security. 

According to ASEAN Secretary General Le Luong Minh, traditional and non-traditional security challenges are threatening regional growth and prosperity, and continue to cause remarkable risks, regardless of efforts to maintain peace, safety and stability in the region.

He said ASEAN has enhanced regional links through cooperation mechanisms relating to security, which focus on addressing existing and emerging security challenges, from terrorism and violent extremism, to cyber attack, human trafficking, pirate and armed robbery at sea. 

Regional countries should improve their adaptability and change their models and viewpoint to deal with the challenges, he noted.

Organised by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), the annual Asia security summit, known as Shangri-La Dialogue, took place from June 2 to 4.

The dialogue was divided into five sessions, focusing on the US and Asia-Pacific security, maintenance of rules-based regional order, new challenges for crisis management in Asia-Pacific, building a common ground on regional security, threats to the global and regional security.-VNA