The Vietnamese delegation was led by Vice Chairman of the Foreign Ministry’s National Border Commission Nguyen Manh Dong, while the Philippine delegation was headed by Assistant Secretary for Maritime and Ocean Affairs under the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs Maria Angela A. Ponce.

leftcenterrightdel
Delegates in a joint photo

At the meeting, both sides reviewed the implementation of cooperation agreements reached at the ninth meeting in November 2021 and acknowledged that despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the two sides promoted bilateral cooperation in areas such as maritime security, fisheries, marine scientific research, environmental protection, hydrometeorology, and working closely together at regional and global forums. They agreed to further deepen bilateral maritime cooperation in the time to come.

Regarding the East Sea (South China Sea) issue, both sides expressed concerns over recent unilateral actions that violate sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction of coastal states enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982, they reaffirmed the importance of abiding by international law, particularly the UNCLOS 1982, and the ASEAN’s central role and stance on the East Sea in maintaining peace, stability and settling disputes by peaceful means.

The maritime cooperation mechanism between Vietnam and the Philippines was established in 2004 and has always been considered one of the pillars of bilateral relationship. It plays an important role in enhancing the strategic partnership, protecting the legitimate rights and interests of each country in the East Sea, promoting peace, stability in the region and consolidating ASEAN solidarity.

Translated by Chung Anh