(VOVworld) – On Tuesday Defense Minister Ngo Xuan Lich held bilateral meetings with the Defense Ministers of Thailand and Singapore on the sides lines of the 5^th Moscow International Security Conference this week.

Lich said Vietnam’s strategic partnerships with Thailand and Singapore have developed steadily with encouraging results in visit exchanges and training cooperation. He said ASEAN countries need to reach consensus on the maintenance of navigation security and safety in the East Sea based on international law, particularly the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) towards adopting a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC). Mr. Lich called for more exchanges and joint sea patrols by ASEAN members.