(VOVworld) - Belgium’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Didier Reynders and Asia-Pacific Ambassadors briefed others on regional developments and discussed ways to broaden ties at a meeting on Tuesday. The regular event hosted by the Vietnamese Embassy in Belgium focused on results of Belgian local elections, government formation, and foreign policies in the coming governmental term.

Vietnamese Ambassador Pham Sanh Chau updated the diplomats on fresh developments related to China’s illegal placement of oil rig Haiyang-981 in Vietnam’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and continental shelf, which flouts the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea. Other ambassadors voiced their concerns about the East Sea conflict and hoped that all parties will defuse tensions with respect for international law to ensure the security and safety of regional navigation.

A vessel of the China Coast Guard rams a Vietnamese boat. (Photo: VNA)

Reynders talked with participants about the current situation in the European Union, the prevention of left-wing extremism, and EU prosperity. He shared the hope of other ambassadors that claimants in the East Sea will sit down for peaceful solution.