All East Sea issues have been analysed and discussed at the second international workshop on cooperation on the East Sea that closed in Ho Chi Minh City on Nov. 12.

The two-day workshop themed, “East Sea: Cooperation for Regional Security and Development” drew 66 scholars and researchers from 24 countries and territories as well as representatives of domestic ministries and agencies and diplomatic corps in Vietnam.

It focused on the importance of the East Sea in the context of changing strategic environments, recent developments in the East Sea, and international legal issues around disputes in the East Sea.

It also touched upon experiences and propensity for dispute settlement and conflict management in the East Sea , trust-building measures and methods to promote regional cooperation as well as cooperation in specific areas of the East Sea.

Prof. Dr Duong Van Quang, President of the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam, affirmed that the workshop has successfully concluded in the spirit of respect and ensuring objective, honest and constructive debate.

At the workshop, scholars put forward a number of solutions to manage and control, as well as settle, disputes at the East Sea .

General Daniel Shaeffer, member of France ’s Think Tank Asie21 Agency, suggested bringing disputes to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea or International Court of Justice in cases where no progress is made among parties in dispute.

Meanwhile, Prof. Stein Tonnesson from Norway ’s International Peace Research Institute, emphasized the necessity to respect legal tools as a durable solution.

The participants emphasized the need to build confidence among concerned parties in the settlement of disputes and conflicts in the East Sea .

Dialogue is necessary, said Quang, saying that transparency in policies and viewpoints and goodwill are prerequisite conditions to seek an equal and long-lasting solution.

Prof. Hasjim Djalal, Director of Indonesia’s Southeast Asia Research Centre, recommended connectivity among regional centres on East Sea research to promote cooperation activities.

He took the occasion to commend Vietnam and China on their active organization of a series of seminars on controlling conflicts on the East Sea and calling other ASEAN nations for their active participation./.