The third international workshop on the East Sea wrapped up in Hanoi on Nov. 5.
With the theme “East Sea: Cooperation for security and development inthe region”, the two-day workshop with the participation of more than200 foreign and domestic delegates heard 31 speeches and more than 70opinions focusing on topics relating to the East Sea.
On the importance of the East Sea, scholars said with economic valuesand important shipping routes, the territorial waters is of greatsignificance to economic growth of not only countries surrounding theEast Sea but also other countries in the region and the world.
Regarding recent situation on the East Sea , delegates and scholarsshared the same view that the East Sea issue is becoming morecomplicated as concerned parties have not yet found the common voice insettling differences.
The move by countries involvedin disputes to buy more military equipment to modernise the army is oneof the reasons that have escalated the tension in the region, theynoted.
Regarding the international law, the delegatesunderlined the role of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law ofthe Sea (UNCLOS) in curbing and managing threats to maritime securityand safety in the East Sea .
They said that theUNCLOS can be applied to clarify sovereignty claims of disputed parties,thus restricting the seizure and construction of artificial buildings,and create legal basis for claims for territorial waters of parties.
The UNCLOS should be considered an effective tool to protect interestsamong relevant sides and the most important basis for discussions. Therelevant parties need to strictly implement the UNCLOS in internal andexternal affairs related to the East Sea , the delegates said.
The delegates and scholars at the event proposed a number of measuresto promote cooperation in the East Sea based on experience of manycountries worldwide in addressing sea disputes.
Themost worthy of note was initiatives on building a managerial system offishery at regional level and effectively controlling marine pollution,setting up a bilateral or multilateral network of marine reserves as asolution to replace the current unilateral prohibition of fishing.
The scholars said in order to settle the East Sea disputespeacefully relevant parties should be persistent in negotiations,increase dialogues in the spirit of cooperation and respect forinternational laws, refrain from violations and create transparency forsovereignty claims over seas and islands.
Theestablishment of the Code of Conduct (COC) of Parties in the East Seawill help to build trust among countries to create a peaceful andstable environment and encourage parties to cooperate in management andexploitation of natural resources in the East Sea peacefully.
The seminar is seen as an effort to promote international cooperation in matters regarding the East Sea./.