The hybrid event, held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was attended by 150 delegates from ministries, sectors, coastal localities, and representative bodies of ASEAN countries in Vietnam.
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At the event (Photo: qdnd.vn) |
In his remarks, Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Minh Vu said having been ratified by 168 parties, UNCLOS 1982 has truly become a legal document of leading importance, only after the U.N. Charter, and a “constitution of the seas and oceans”.
The convention formed a comprehensive and full international legal framework that regulates the rights and obligations of all states, no matter whether it is coastal or landlocked, in the use of the seas and the management, exploitation, and conservation of marine resources, he noted.
UNCLOS 1982 is a comprehensive international legal cornerstone for identifying sea areas, sovereignty, sovereign right, and jurisdiction over sea areas, and for conducting activities at sea. It also stipulates compulsory dispute settlement mechanisms to peacefully resolve differences relevant to the interpretation and application of UNCLOS 1982 among countries, according to the official.
The conference held a panel session to highlight the special values of UNCLOS 1982 and another on Vietnam’s implementation of the convention.
In their remarks sent to the workshop, Tommy Koh, former President of the third U.N. Conference on the Law of the Sea, and Vladimir Jares, Director of the U.N. Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, stressed the importance of UNCLOS 1982 and Vietnam’s contributions to the UNCLOS 1982 drafting and implementation process.
Participants shared the view that over the past 40 years, UNCLOS 1982 has not only properly served as a constitution of the oceans but also contributed to the formation and protection of the international legal order of the seas and oceans, as well as to the maintenance of peace, security, stability, and international cooperation at sea.
They said that bordering the East Sea (South China Sea) and being a member of UNCLOS 1982, Vietnam has always been well aware of the role and importance of the seas to national peace, security, and development. They also affirmed the importance of respecting and fully and responsibly implementing regulations in UNCLOS 1982, protecting the legal order of the seas and oceans, and promoting cooperation amid complex developments in the East Sea.
Source: VNA