The annual Asian Security Summit, also known as the Shangri-La Dialogue, concluded here Sunday with defense ministers and senior officials from 27 countries heavily focusing on international cooperation in disaster relief.
Meeting for the first time since Cyclone Nargis hit Myanmar and the earthquake hit China last month, defense ministers including US defense secretary, China's deputy chief of the general staff of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and Myanmar's deputy defense minister, have agreed on three principles to guide the efforts of the international community in helping disaster-struck countries.
The first principle stressed the responsibility of disaster-hit countries to respond to disasters occurring within their territory in a prompt and effective manner.
The second is, where needed, they should facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid from other countries and international organizations.
Any external help shall have the consent of the affected countries, and it should come under their overall control and supervision, said the third.
Singapore's Defense Minister Teo Chee Hean, who spoke Sunday at the three-day forum, stressed the importance of international cooperation in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, as "no country, no matter how big, is able to muster all the resources and specialized capabilities necessary to attend to all the needs of the victims."
He also pointed out that the key in such operations is bringing relief speedily and effectively to the victims, which is "a responsibility to provide" of all national governments.
Teo's call for international cooperation in disaster relief echoed Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong who said that international cooperation is key to tackling non-traditional security threats such as food shortages and natural disasters when he made a keynote speech at the opening of the conference on Friday.
