Addressing the 25th meeting of State Parties to the UNCLOS,which took place in New York, the US from June 8-12, the head ofVietnam’s Permanent Representative Delegation to the UN, AmbassadorNguyen Phuong Nga noted that the East Sea, which is rich in naturalresources and the second largest maritime route in the world, should besafeguarded and used in a sustainable way.
Theambassador stressed the need to maintain peace, stability, navigationsecurity, and freedom of navigation and aviation in the East Sea in linewith the UNCLOS and international law.
Vietnam is concernedabout current complicated developments in the East Sea, especiallylarge-scale construction activities, which change the naturalcharacteristics of some structures in the sea, destroy marineenvironment and ecosystem and seriously affecting peace, stability andsecurity in the region, thus causing great concerns among ASEAN membernations and countries inside and outside the region, Ambassador Ngastated.
She emphasised that all actions that change the statusquo in the East Sea, damage the marine environment and furthercomplicate disputes in the waters must stop immediately.
The official also reiterated Vietnam’s consistent stance on the issue,which calls for the settlement of disputes in the East Sea by peacefulmeasures, in line with international law, including the UNCLOS, and thatdispute-involved parties should fully carry out commitments in theDeclaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea and worktogether to build a Code of Conduct (COC) soon.
The meeting,which saw the participation of 136 UNCLOS member nations, approvedreports on activities of the International Court of Justice on the Lawof the Sea in 2014, the International Seabed Authority and theCommission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf.-VNA