Asean vows unity, neutrality as defense ministers mark 15 years of cooperation

Southeast Asia’s defense chiefs reaffirm their commitment to keep the region 'a Zone of Peace, Freedom, and Neutrality, not a stage for strategic rivalry' as the Asean Defense Ministers’ Meeting-Plus mark its 15th anniversary in Kuala Lumpur on Nov. 1, 2025. Malaysia’s Defense Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin said the ADMM-Plus was proof that 'dialogue works, trust can be built, and unity remains Asean’s greatest defense.”

EBRAHIM HARRIS / AFPTV / AFP