U.S. Pacific Command Chief Adm. Samuel Locklear met with ASEAN Secretary-General Le Luong Minh on Thursday to discuss cooperation in areas of disaster response, counter-terrorism, and maritime security, according to a statement by the ASEAN Secretariat.

During the 30-minute meeting, Locklear thanked the secretary general for ASEAN's contribution to the region, and presented him an overview of U.S. Pacific Command's efforts in U.S. rebalancing of its Asia strategy.

"ASEAN's efforts to promote regional cooperation and build regional capacity will help safeguard the peace and prosperity of region," Locklear said.

"The U.S. Pacific Command stands ready to work with ASEAN, its member countries and other partners to strengthen the foundations for a stable and rules-based Asia-Pacific security architecture," he added.

The secretary general thanked Locklear for U.S. continued support to ASEAN.

"ASEAN appreciates the important role the United States plays in the region and will continue to play, as ASEAN is working toward our fulfillment of our economic community goals for 2015," he said. "This is one reason ASEAN decided to elevate our relationship with the United States to the strategic level this year."

During the meeting, they also exchanged views on other political and security issues, as well as additional engagement opportunities for the United States in the region.