ASEAN Regional Forum security policy meeting held in Vietnam

HANOI, May 19, 2010 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- A meeting on security policy of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum was held in Vietnam's central city of Danang on Wednesday, the Vietnam News Agency reported.

The meeting drew delegates from 26 countries, the European Union and the ASEAN Secretariat.
At the meeting, participants focused their discussions on ways to promote further the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF)'s potential in dealing with non-traditional security challenges in the region. They also exchanged views on regional and international security situations.

The ARF Security Policy Conference is an annual meeting among deputy defense ministers from ARF members.

The meeting aims to promote cooperation on measures to build trust in the military area within the ARF framework, and open new channels for dialogue and exchanges among defense officials, diplomats and other important military figures, said the report.

The ASEAN Regional Forum was officially established in 1994. The current participants in the ARF includes Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Canada, China, the European Union, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Democratic Peoples' Republic of Korea, the Republic of Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Mongolia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, the Russian Federation, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor Leste, the United States and Vietnam.