December 05, 2018 | 20:04 (GMT+7)
International seminar on promoting maritime security cooperation in Hanoi
PANO – The British and Australian Embassies in Vietnam on December 4 jointly organized a seminar, themed “Promoting Maritime Security Cooperation in the East Sea (South China Sea)” in Hanoi.
The event, with the participation of more than 100 Vietnamese and international experts and scholars and international organizations and representatives from 30 diplomatic corps in Vietnam, focused on regional and global experiences in settling disputes at sea, legal aspects in cooperation among maritime law enforcement agencies and promotion of cooperation among maritime law enforcement agencies.
Delivering opening remarks, Dr. Pham Lan Dung, Vice Director of the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam, affirmed that the seminar showed Vietnam’s responsibility for protecting regional peace and security and honoring international law. It was also a place for domestic and international scholars to share views and ideas to promote cooperation for security and stability in the region.
The South China Sea plays an important role in regional and global security and economic development. Recent developments in international relations in the South China Sea created favorable conditions to promote cooperation among maritime law enforcement agencies, but at the same time posed certain risks to regional security, Dung added.
For his part, U.K. Vice Ambassador to Vietnam Steph Lysaght emphasized that the seminar was a golden opportunity to promote understanding of maritime security and the role of maritime freedom in global trade.
Meanwhile, Australian Ambassador to Vietnam Craig Chittick said that Australia shares the same view with ASEAN and other countries on supporting peaceful settlement of disputes on the basis of international law and without using force or threatening to use force, economic integration and freedom of navigation and aviation.
Translated by Tran Hoai