Rear Admiral Tran Thanh Nghiem, Commander of the Vietnam People’s Navy, is attending the 17th Western Pacific Naval Symposium (WPNS 17) which kicked off on October 26 via videoconference with the theme of “Effective Ocean Governance for Regional Partnership and Stability”.

In his opening remarks, Flag Officer-in-Command of the Philippine Navy Adeluis S Bordado emphasised that WPNS aims to strengthen cooperation activities and address tensions affecting relations between nations, as well as challenges related to terrorism, smuggling, illegal fishing, and maritime security activities.

With joint efforts of member countries and observers, the contents of cooperation within the WPNS framework have become more diverse, the scope and field of cooperation have been constantly expanding, and strategic trust has been strengthened based on the principle of effective dialogue and collaboration among countries in the Western Pacific region.

The symposium focuses on three main issues: considering the application to join the WPNS of the Fiji Navy (with all 20 “yes” votes), discussing commitments to host activities within the WPNS framework in the coming time, and considering the criteria for the navies of the observer countries to become full members of the WPNS.

Its plenary session is scheduled to take place on October 27./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency