The Philippines will assume the chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Defense Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM)-Plus Experts Working Groups (EWGs) on Maritime Security beginning next year.
The ADMM-Plus is a platform for ASEAN and its eight dialogue partners – Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Russia and the United States – to strengthen security and defence cooperation for peace, stability, and development in the region.
The Philippines will co-chair the ADMM-Plus EWG with Japan from 2024 to 2027, the Department of National Defense (DND) confirmed on Monday, August 7.
This was approved during the ASEAN Defense Senior Officials’ Meeting (ADSOM) and ADSOM-Plus which were held back-to-back in Jakarta, Indonesia from August 2 to 3.
Participants to the ADSOM discussed updates on the progress of the defense cooperation among ASEAN member-states which included the outcomes of recently held ASEAN defense and military meetings.
“Notably, the Philippines and Japan have been confirmed as the incoming co-chairs of the ADMM-Plus EWG on Maritime Security,” DND spokesperson Arsenio Andolong said.
The meetings also reviewed and endorsed the proposed outcome documents that are slated for adoption or notation by the 17th ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting and 10th ADMM-Plus which will convene in November 2023.
Among the documents included a concept paper co-authored by the Philippines and Thailand which aims to contribute to improving the work processes of the ADMM and ADMM-Plus “for more efficient and economical outcomes.”
The DND delegation to the ADSOM and ADSOM-Plus meetings was led by Defense Undersecretary for Strategic Assessment and Planning Ignacio Madriaga. He was accompanied by Defense Asst. Sec. for Strategic Assessments and International Affairs Pablo Lorenzo, and Philippine Defense and Armed Forces Attache to Indonesia Colonel Emmanuel Canilla.
The Philippines’ chairmanship of the ADMM-Plus EWG on Maritime Security comes at a time that the country is facing numerous challenges in its territorial waters in the West Philippine Sea.
During the ADSOM, Madriaga underscored the importance of upholding the rule of law and pursuing multilateral cooperation amid intensifying geopolitical competition and persisting unresolved boundary issues.
He also stressed the significance of the 2016 South China Sea arbitration award as an “inspiration” for how competing claims between states should be settled.