ASEAN Defence Ministers launch hotline for quick response

Clark (Philippines) Oct 24 (IANS) The Defence Ministers of the ASEAN on Tuesday formally launched a hotline designed to provide quick response cooperation in emergencies especially in maritime operations.

Formerly known as the ASEAN Direct Communications Link (ADI) the ADI is designed to allow the Defence Ministers to communicate instantly through secure hotline Xinhua news agency reported.

A statement issued by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Defence Ministers said ADI "will further foster cooperation and diffuse possible misunderstandings among ASEAN member states".

"One of the main characteristics of the ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting (ADMM) and the ADMM-PLus that we are proud of is that these meetings go beyond the ministerial platforms for dialogue and actually serve as mechanisms for practical cooperation " said Philippine Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana.

Lorenzana chaired the two-day ADMM and the ADMM-Plus that ended on Tuesday.

ASEAN groups Brunei Cambodia Indonesia Laos Malaysia Myanmar the Philippines Singapore Thailand and Vietnam. ADMM-Plus includes ASEAN s eight security partners - Australia China India Japan New Zealand South Korea Russia and the US.

--IANS
him/mr