00:01Malaysia's Defense Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said ASEAN must strengthen its
00:08regional disaster response capabilities, improve coordination and ensure its armed forces are
00:14ready to respond swiftly and effectively.
00:17He said the increasingly complex and interconnected threats facing the region required greater
00:22preparedness, stronger cooperation and sustained investment in capabilities.
00:26He said this in his opening remarks on Wednesday at the 20th ASEAN Defense Minister's meeting
00:32held in the Philippines for two days. Host Nation and Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro
00:38urged ASEAN to resolve the sovereignty issues concerning the South China Sea through peaceful
00:44and legal means.
00:46Our engagements this week offer a valuable opportunity to express and reflect, rather,
00:55on how we can sustain and enhance collective progress and defend our shared principles.
01:05In a fragmenting world, our internal stability and intra-ASEAN unity are vital, perhaps even
01:16in the future existential. For it is only when we are united that we can effectively uphold ASEAN
01:27centrality and the principles that bind us, such as mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial
01:35integrity, peaceful settlement of disputes and renunciation of the threat or use of force.
01:46ASEAN was founded on the belief that our strength lies in our diversity. We must therefore not allow our differences
01:56to divide us from within.
02:00The ASEAN Defense Ministers are also meeting with representatives of the United States, China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia, New
02:09Zealand and Russia.
02:10ASEAN economies are grappling with the effects of Iran war, while tension between host the Philippines and Beijing add another
02:18source of friction to a forum meant to promote dialogue and practical cooperation on security.
02:23As I close?
02:26Let's go.
