PENANG, Friday, 24 January 2025 - The ASEAN Defence Senior Officials’ Meeting Working Group (ADSOM WG) and the ASEAN Defence Senior Officials’ Meeting - Plus Working Group (ADSOM-Plus WG) convened for the first time under Malaysia’s chairmanship of the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) and related meetings, which began on 21 January 2025, and successfully concluded on 23 January 2025, in Pulau Pinang, Malaysia. The meetings were chaired by Yang Mulai Mr. Azhar bin Mohamad Yusof, Undersecretary of the Policy and Strategic Planning Division of the Ministry of Defence Malaysia, as the ADSOM WG and ADSOM-Plus WG Leader of Malaysia.
Yang Mulia Poh Kui Choon, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defence, represented Brunei Darussalam as the ADSOM WG and ADSOM-Plus WG Leader, accompanied by senior officers from the Ministry of Defence.
During the two meetings, ADSOM WG and ADSOM-Plus WG discussed important documents, including the progress on implementing the ADMM Work Programme 2023-2026, the ADMM-Plus Experts’ Working Groups' progress in the 2024-2027 cycle, as well as drafts of concept papers, joint statements, and a draft declaration in preparation for the upcoming ADMM Retreat in February 2025, and also the scheduled 19th ADMM and 12th ADMM-Plus in November 2025 in Kuala Lumpur. The theme for Malaysia’s Chairmanship of the ADMM and its related meetings is “ASEAN Unity for Security and Prosperity.”
At the sidelines of the ADSOM WG and ADSOM-Plus WG, the delegations from Brunei Darussalam also engaged in constructive bilateral discussions with their counterparts from Malaysia, Thailand, and the People’s Republic of China.
MESYUARAT-MESYUARAT KUMPULAN KERJA (WG) PEGAWAI KANAN PERTAHANAN ASEAN (ADSOM WG) DAN ADSOM-PLUS WG DIADAKAN DI PULAU PINANG, MALAYSIA
PULAU PINANG, Jumaat, 24 Januari 2025 – Mesyuarat-Mesyuarat Kumpulan Kerja (WG) bagi Pegawai Kanan Pertahanan ASEAN (ADSOM WG) dan ADSOM-Plus WG bersidang buat pertama kali di bawah pengerusian Malaysia bagi Mesyuarat Menteri-Menteri Pertahanan ASEAN (ADMM) dan mesyuarat-mesyuarat berkaitan, yang bermula pada 21 Januari 2025 dan berakhir pada 23 Januari 2025 di Pulau Pinang, Malaysia. Mesyuarat-mesyuarat tersebut dipengerusikan oleh Yang Mulia Encik Azhar bin Mohamad Yusof, Setiausaha Bahagian, Bahagian Dasar dan Perancangan Strategik, Kementerian Pertahanan Malaysia, selaku Ketua ADSOM WG dan ADSOM-Plus WG Malaysia.
Yang Mulia Poh Kui Choon, Timbalan Setiausaha Tetap, Kementerian Pertahanan mewakili Negara Brunei Darussalam selaku Ketua ADSOM WG dan ADSOM-Plus WG, dengan disertai oleh pegawai-pegawai kanan dari Kementerian Pertahanan.
Semasa kedua-dua mesyuarat tersebut, ADSOM WG dan ADSOM-Plus WG membincangkan dokumen-dokumen penting, termasuk kemajuan pelaksanaan Program Kerja ADMM 2023-2026, kemajuan Kumpulan-Kumpulan Kerja Pakar ADMM-Plus bagi kitaran 2024-2027, serta deraf-deraf kertas konsep, kenyataan dan deklarasi bersama sebagai persediaan bagi sidang
ADMM Retreat pada Februari 2025, dan juga ADMM ke-19 dan ADMM-Plus ke-12 yang dijadualkan pada November 2025 di Kuala Lumpur. Tema bagi ADMM dan mesyuarat-mesyuarat berkaitan di bawah pengerusian Malaysia ialah
‘ASEAN Unity for Security and Prosperity’.
Di samping mesyuarat ADSOM WG dan ADSOM-Plus WG, delegasi Negara Brunei Darussalam juga mengadakan perbincangan-perbincangan membina secara dua hala bersama pegawai rakan sejawat dari Malaysia, Thailand, dan Republik Rakyat China.
