Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh attends the UNSC high-level open debate on maritime security, held virtually on August 9 (Photo: VNA) In its article posted on August 12, the e-newspaper halonoviny.czstressed that as a coastal country, Vietnam has been making efforts to helpprotect and enhance maritime security.
It cited PM Pham Minh Chinh's speech at the UNSC debate, which put forth proposals aimed to help resolve challenges tomaritime security, especially the need for the international community toimprove the awareness of the importance of seas and the threats to maritimesecurity.
The article also quoted the PM's as saying that maritime security is a global issuethat cannot be handled by a single country, and cooperation among nations is necessary to effectively respond to common security challenges, and that Vietnam isready to work with countries in the region and the world to deal with maritimesecurity issues, thereby actively helping to maintain peace and promote regionaland global sustainable development.
According to the author, the PM’s remarks reflects Vietnam’ssupport of the settlement of maritime security issues by peaceful means on thebasis of international law and the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)in order to guarantee the freedom of navigation and overflight in internationalsea areas, for the sake of regional and international peace, stability, anddevelopment.
The parlamentnilisty.cz website also welcomed Vietnam’spolicy of peacefully handling the East Sea issue on the basis of internationallaw and the 1982 UNCLOS, objecting to unilateral actions that infringe internationallaw in the waters, and affirming the value of the UNCLOS and the rulings issuedin 2016 by the Permanent Court of Arbitration.
It wrote that Vietnam’s viewpoint highlighted by PM Chinh atthe debate received support from the European Union and European countries.
The writing also pointed out that China’s unilateral actionssuch as building artificial islands and conducting militarisation in the EastSea, or its intimidation and coercion to hamper ASEAN countries’ legal economicactivities in the sea areas under their sovereignty and jurisdiction in theEast Sea have run counter to international law and the UNCLOS, to which Chinais also a signatory.
China’s recent military drills in the vicinity of Vietnam’sHoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago have violated Vietnam’s sovereignty, run counterto the spirit of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC),complicated the situation, and negatively affected regional and global peaceand stability, the article said.
It added the East Sea is an important international shippingroute, and that the EU and European countries support the viewpoint of settlingthe East Sea issue by peaceful measures on the basis of international law andthe UNCLOS./.
VNA
