International conference highlights importance of East Sea
(VOVWORLD) - The 14th International Conference on the East Sea has demonstrated that the East Sea is not a closed sea but plays a vital role in connecting the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, said acting Director of the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam (DAV) Pham Lan Dung in her closing speech at the Conference in Da Nang city on Thursday.
 The 14th International Conference on the East Sea (Photo: VNA) |
The two-day conference gathered more than 470 delegates who shared a view of making the East Sea (known internationally as the South China Sea) a peaceful sea for solid recovery.
Dr. Pham Lan Dung said: “We have discussed many challenges as well as opportunities to overcome them. Our hope is based on commitments to respect international law and ensure the rule of law, and on multilateral cooperation channels. We can live in harmony despite COVID-19 and other complexities and challenges that lie ahead.”
The Conference marked the 40th anniversary of the signing of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) as well as 20 years since ASEAN and China signed the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC). Most statements highlighted the universal value and importance of UNCLOS as a “constitution of the oceans”.