REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, HO CHI MINH CITY -- The 5th ASEAN Maritime Forum (AMF-5) and the 3rd Expanded ASEAN Maritime Forum (EAMF-3) kicked off in Vietnam's central Da Nang City on Tuesday, with representatives from ten ASEAN member states and eight East Asia Summit (EAS) partners, local Vietnam News (VNS) reported Tuesday.

Participants from ten ASEAN member states are from Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam; and those from eight EAS partners including China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia, New Zealand, Russia and the United States.

The two events aimed to promote the key role of ASEAN in fostering maritime co-operation and building trust in the region, especially in ensuring security and safety of navigation, said the report.

AMF-5 and EAMF-3 are also expected to serve as channels for participants to discuss issues related to maritime collaboration, focusing on building trust and ensuring maritime security and safety.

During the three-day working, which will last until Thursday, participating countries will discuss the maritime situation and cooperation in the region, review the implementation of initiatives, and set future orientations for the AMF and EAMF, according to VNS.

ASEAN is now operating 11 maritime cooperation mechanisms covering areas such as defense, transnational crime prevention, transport, fisheries, tourism and the environment.

The previous 4th AMF and 2nd EAMF took place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in October 2013.

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