Speakers included representatives from Vietnam , the Philippines , Thailand and the embassies of several ASEAN countries.
In her presentation, Dr Nguyen Thi Lan Anh, Deputy Director of the Centre for East Sea Studies of the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam, pointed out issues related to the current disputes, the role of legal frameworks and prospects of dispute settlement.
In her opinion, to deal with East Sea disputes, concerned parties need reconciliation, exchange of viewpoints and measures on the basis of international law.
She particularly laid stress on international cooperation to resolve the disputes, including the implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and the Code of Conduct (COC) and the role of ASEAN member countries, especially the group’s founding members including Thailand.
Henry Bensurto, head of the Commission on Maritime and Ocean Affairs under the Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs, called upon claimants to cooperate and deal with the disputes via dialogue.
On the occasion, the Vietnamese embassy in Thailand issued a press release affirming Vietnam’s stance of solving disputes by peaceful methods following international law.-VNA
