Senior officials from country members of the Association of South EastAsian Nations (ASEAN) met in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, on May 9 to makepreparations for the 24th ASEAN Summit and related meetings.
The Vietnamese delegation to the meeting was headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Pham Quang Vinh.
The meeting agreed on the draft working schedules, agendas and thethemes of the 24th Summit and related meetings, which are the ASEANMinisterial Meeting (AMM), the 14th ASEAN Coordinating Council (ACC)meeting and the 11th ASEAN Political-Security Community Council (APSC)meeting.
Accordingly, the AMM will discussmeasures to push the building of the ASEAN Community, enhance ASEAN’scentral role in the region, expand and deepen ASEAN’s external relationsas well as the international and regional situations including thecomplicated developments in the East Sea.
TheACC is expected to review the pace of ASEAN Community building in allthree pillars, while the ASEAN Political-Security Community Council willreview the implementation of the APSC blueprint.
Addressing the meeting, Deputy FM Vinh affirmed that Vietnam willmake active and responsible contributions to ASEAN’s important contentsand the bloc’s solidarity to ensure the summit’s success.
He updated the meeting on the current complicated developments in theEast Sea, emphasizing that China’s placement of its oil rig and sendingof many escort ships, including military vessels 80 nautical miles deepinto Vietnam’s continental shelf and exclusive economic zone seriouslyviolated Vietnam’s sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction underthe 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS 1982)as well as infringed international law and the 2002 Declaration on theConduct of Parties on the East Sea (DOC).
Noting that Chinese ships intentionally rammed into and used watercannons on Vietnamese ships, damaging many of them and inflictinginjuries on crew members, Deputy FM Minh underlined that the situationis serious, harming peace, stability, security and marine safety in theregion as well as trust-building efforts in the region.
He said ASEAN needs to raise a common voice in the situation,stressing the demand for strict observance of international law and the1982 UNCLOS, including the Convention’s provision on respecting thecontinental shelf and exclusive economic zone of coastal countries.
Other ASEAN countries expressed deep concernover the situation, which they said affected peace, security and marinesafety in the region. They proposed that ASEAN take a united stance,asking all sides to abide by international law and the UNCLOS, strictlyand fully implement the DOC. They stressed the urgent need to reach aCode of Conduct (COC) in the East Sea to better ensure peace, stability,security and maritime safety in the region.
Ministerial-level meetings of the ASEAN will convene on May 10, and the 24th ASEAN Summit will officially open on May 11.-VNA
The Vietnamese delegation to the meeting was headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Pham Quang Vinh.
The meeting agreed on the draft working schedules, agendas and thethemes of the 24th Summit and related meetings, which are the ASEANMinisterial Meeting (AMM), the 14th ASEAN Coordinating Council (ACC)meeting and the 11th ASEAN Political-Security Community Council (APSC)meeting.
Accordingly, the AMM will discussmeasures to push the building of the ASEAN Community, enhance ASEAN’scentral role in the region, expand and deepen ASEAN’s external relationsas well as the international and regional situations including thecomplicated developments in the East Sea.
TheACC is expected to review the pace of ASEAN Community building in allthree pillars, while the ASEAN Political-Security Community Council willreview the implementation of the APSC blueprint.
Addressing the meeting, Deputy FM Vinh affirmed that Vietnam willmake active and responsible contributions to ASEAN’s important contentsand the bloc’s solidarity to ensure the summit’s success.
He updated the meeting on the current complicated developments in theEast Sea, emphasizing that China’s placement of its oil rig and sendingof many escort ships, including military vessels 80 nautical miles deepinto Vietnam’s continental shelf and exclusive economic zone seriouslyviolated Vietnam’s sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction underthe 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS 1982)as well as infringed international law and the 2002 Declaration on theConduct of Parties on the East Sea (DOC).
Noting that Chinese ships intentionally rammed into and used watercannons on Vietnamese ships, damaging many of them and inflictinginjuries on crew members, Deputy FM Minh underlined that the situationis serious, harming peace, stability, security and marine safety in theregion as well as trust-building efforts in the region.
He said ASEAN needs to raise a common voice in the situation,stressing the demand for strict observance of international law and the1982 UNCLOS, including the Convention’s provision on respecting thecontinental shelf and exclusive economic zone of coastal countries.
Other ASEAN countries expressed deep concernover the situation, which they said affected peace, security and marinesafety in the region. They proposed that ASEAN take a united stance,asking all sides to abide by international law and the UNCLOS, strictlyand fully implement the DOC. They stressed the urgent need to reach aCode of Conduct (COC) in the East Sea to better ensure peace, stability,security and maritime safety in the region.
Ministerial-level meetings of the ASEAN will convene on May 10, and the 24th ASEAN Summit will officially open on May 11.-VNA
