Talking to Vietnam News Agency’s correspondents in Berlin, Dr. Gerhard Will, a former expert on the East Sea at the German institute for political science, said that the speech once again affirms Vietnam’s viewpoint and policy in ensuring maritime security and peacefully addressing conflicts at sea, as well as proposing specific solutions in this regard. This shows the country’s important role in maintaining peace, stability and maritime security in the region.
According to him, maritime security is a very important issue for Vietnam because it has wide waters, a long coastline, and an economy that is highly dependent on import and export activities and closely linked with the world economy.
Sharing the same view, Prof. Thomas Engelbert from the Asia - Africa Institute under the Hamburg University of Germany stated that Vietnam - one of the main stakeholders in disputes in the East Sea - plays an important role in the peaceful settlement of this issue.
So far, every initiative that Vietnam has made has aimed at seeking a peaceful solution to or peacefully addressing disputes, he stressed.
In order to ensure and maintain maritime security, he suggested relevant countries respect international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)./.
