The four-day long 38th Pacific Armies Management Seminar (PAMS) came to an end yesterday with participants underscoring the need for greater regional cooperation to fight traditional and non-traditional threats.
The next seminar will be held in Indonesia, officials said.
The information was disclosed at the closing day of the international seminar held at Radisson Blu Water Garden Hotel in the capital.
Bangladesh Army, in cooperation with US Army Pacific (USARPAC), organised the seminar for the second time.
Speaking at the closing ceremony, General Iqbal Karim Bhuiyan, chief of Bangladesh army staff said, the seminar had boosted the relationship among the land forces in the region.
“In my opinion, the most significant achievement of PAMS XXXVIII is that we have become more close-knit. We can also claim to be good friends now,” he said.
The army chief also said such seminars would help the countries ensure peace and stability. He urged military leaders to give up minor differences for wider cooperation.
“Today the entire human race is facing common enemies like hunger, disease, natural disasters and illegal drugs. When we all fight against a common set of enemies on a single front, we have no other means but to cooperate among ourselves. It will only be possible if we brush aside our minor differences and join our hands together.”
Addressing the programme, Vincent K Brooks, the commanding general of the US Army Pacific said, the region had ample opportunities and they had touched upon new areas of cooperation in the seminar.
In the last day of the program, syndicate groups gave a presentation sharing the content and outcome of the discussions of the last four days.
The major topics of discussion included: “Practicing cooperation, developing interoperability of concepts for non-traditional security”, “Balancing requirements for meeting traditional and non-traditional threats”, “Civil-military and multinational cooperation, the essential elements for future stability” and “Building response capacity of land forces for issues of environmental security”.
Emphasis was put on increased regional cooperation to fight terrorism and environmental threats. The speakers underscored the urgent need for mutual knowledge sharing and effective cooperation. On the closing day, leaders of the delegates of each country were handed over a crest.
The four-day-long seminar began on Sunday with the theme: “A New Focus on the Asia-Pacific Region: Opportunities and Challenges for Land Forces.” About 120 delegates from 25 countries participated in the seminar to discuss contemporary issues of common concern.
