The first meeting of ASEAN Chiefs of ASEAN’s Security Agencies (MACOSA)will be held in Hanoi from September 29-30 to discuss mechanisms forcooperation on regional security.

MACOSA is an Vietnamese initiative, which was first raised at the thirdmeeting of the ASEAN Politics-Security Community Council, said MajorGeneral Nguyen Chi Thanh, Deputy General Director of the GeneralSecurity Department under the Ministry of Public Security, at a pressbriefing on September 16.

The initiative was alsorecognised in a statement issued by the ASEAN Chair at the 16 th ASEANSummit in Hanoi from April 8-9, 2010, said Thanh.

The objective of MACOSA is to enhance security cooperation amongstregional nations and improve their capacity to make policies and copewith threats to security.

It is also expected tolink up with the ASEAN Senior Officials’ Meeting on Transnational Crime(SOMTC), the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and the ASEAN Police ChiefsMeeting (ASEANAPOL).

The first MACOSA will definethe scope and fields of cooperation as well as ways of coordinatingsecurity-related policies in ASEAN member nations to prevent securitythreats in the region, as well as preclude possible conflicts betweenthem.

According to Thanh, outstanding securitythreats in the region include transnational crime, such as terrorism,drug and human trafficking, and non-traditional crimes related toeconomic security, the environment and energy.

MACOSA is an open conference so the heads of delegations can suggest newissues for immediate discussions and reach a consensus, Thanh toldreporters.

Around 50 official delegates, includingthe heads of security agencies from ASEAN countries and observers, willattend the first meeting./.