Hanoi（VNA) - The Philippines and the US have recently organised the 3rd Maritime Dialogue in Manila, during which they reaffirmed their shared commitment to upholding the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), as well as underlined the importance of the ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague (the Netherlands) in 2016 on the East Sea.
Under the chair of Assistant Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) for Maritime and Ocean Affairs of the Philippines Marshall Louis Alferez and US State Department Deputy Assistant Secretary Mahlet Mesfin, delegates reviewed current cooperation efforts and discussed ways to effectively address challenges and common concerns in the sea.
The discussions revolved around maritime law enforcement, especially information sharing, capacity building and joint operations, as well as modernisation of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG). The two sides agreed to continue collaboration in marine environmental conservation and climate change initiatives, and exert joint efforts to address illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in the region.
During the dialogue, the US State Department announced a new grant worth 8 million USD for PCG modernisation. The grant will support infrastructure development, training programmes, and building resource management plans for the PCG.
Held for the first time in 2022, the Maritime Dialogue is a forum to improve maritime policy and coordination between the two countries. The DFA announced that the fourth event of this kind will be hosted by Washington in 2025./.
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