Singapore takes over ASEAN defence meetings chairmanship from the Philippines
Singapore on Thursday (Oct 29) took over chairmanship of the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting (ADMM) from the Philippines as the 13th ADMM-Plus, held in Cebu's Mactan, came to a close.The ADMM-Plus is an official platform that brings together defence ministers from the 11-member bloc, with their counterparts from eight dialogue partner countries to strengthen security and defence.The eight dialogue partner countries are Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia, and the United States.Minister for Defence Chan Chun Sing highlighted the progress made by the ADMM and ADMM-Plus over the years as he represented Singapore to take over the meeting series' chairmanship. He also reaffirmed the Republic's commitment to working closely with member countries to address evolving security challenges.“It is our responsibility and our hope that we will be able to work closely with everyone in this hall and beyond.” This, Chan added, will ensure the ADMM/ADMM-Plus maintains its relevance to both current and emerging challenges.