Within the ASEAN Regional Forum(ARF), the ARF Security Policy Conference (ASPC) said that disputes atsea and in the East Sea in particular need to be solved peacefully onthe basis of international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on theLaw of the Sea (UNCLOS) and regional treaties.
Countriessupported ASEAN and China to effectively implement the Declarationon the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and work towards theCode of Conduct (COC) for peace, stability and security in the region,as well as to ensure maritime freedom, natural resource exploitation andeconomic development in accordance with international law.
Delegationsto the conference expressed concern over recent developments in theEast Sea , and said they want concerned parties to refrain and listento the international community’s opinions, to peacefully solve disputesbased on international law.
Regarding nuclear energy safety, theconference said that this is an important issue for the region andnecessary to encourage nations to participate in international nucleartreaties and mechanisms, complete their domestic legal frameworks, buildtraining and assistance centres relating to nuclear security as well asincrease international cooperation on the issue.
Addressing theevent, Deputy Defence Minister Sen. Lieut. Gen. Nguyen Chi Vinh, who ledthe Vietnamese delegation to the conference, affirmed Vietnam ’sconsistent viewpoint against global proliferation of nuclear weapons.Vietnam also actively participates in mechanisms to build a nuclearweapon free South East Asia and Asia-Pacific region in a sustainablemanner.
He stressed the importance of nuclear energy use for peaceful purposes, saying that priority should be given to safety.
Vietnam is studying a roadmap for the use of nuclear energy forpeaceful purposes in its industrialisation and modernisation, Vinhadded.
He emphasised the maintenance of safety during projectoperations and said Vietnam wants and is willing to cooperate withother countries to ensure nuclear safety.
The ASPC is part of annual defence activities within the ASEAN Regional Forum, which is held on a rotary basis.
Establishedon July 25, 1994 in Thailand, ARF consists of 27 members, including the10 ASEAN member countries, plus the group’s dialogue partners – the US,Japan, China, Russia, India, the Republic of Korea, Australia, NewZealand, Canada and the European Union, and Papua New Guinea, Mongolia,the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Pakistan, Bangladesh, SriLanka and Timor Leste.-VNA