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Delegates in a joint photo |
The event was attended by commanders and heads of naval delegations of 27 member countries (21 official members and six observers). This is a large multilateral naval forum resumed in the offline format after a 2-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At the conference, delegates discussed WPNS’s future road-map, confidence-building measures, peace building, and maritime cooperation, among others.
During a discussion, Rear Admiral Tran Thanh Nghiem, member of the Party Central Committee and Commander of the Vietnam People’s Navy, emphasized that peace and stability serve as the only foundation for the development of all aspects of socio-economic life and a legitimate aspiration, a common goal of all nations and peoples in the world.
He went on to say that the maintenance of peace and stability in each region and the whole world is the responsibility of all people around the globe. To do that, the navies of the WPNS countries need to make strong commitments, strengthen trust, enhance cooperation, resolutely uphold the principle of settling disputes and disagreements at sea by peaceful means on the basis of respect for the independence, sovereignty, and legitimate interests of countries and in compliance with international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982.
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Naval Commander Tran Thanh Nghiem meets with his Japanese counterpart. |
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Naval Commander Tran Thanh Nghiem and his Indian counterpart |
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Naval Commander Tran Thanh Nghiem and his Canadian counterpart |
Earlier, the Japanese Navy held an International Fleet Review to celebrate its 70th anniversary of the founding of the Maritime Self-Defense Force. The event attracted the participation of 18 naval ships from 12 countries around the world.
During his stay in Japan, Vietnamese Naval Commander Tran Thanh Nghiem had bilateral meetings with his counterparts from the Philippines, India, the host Japan, Canada, and the Republic of Korea. He also had unofficial meetings with naval commanders of ASEAN member countries, Colombia, the U.S., and Chinese navy's North Sea Fleet.
Through conversations, the Vietnamese Naval Commander expressed the hope to consolidate and strengthen cooperation with other navies for regional peace, stability, cooperation, and development.
Translated by Tran Hoai