On the morning of October 8, in Hanoi, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs coordinated with the Wallonie-Bruxelles Delegation in Vietnam to organize the International Workshop 'Cooperation for borders, seas, islands, peace and development'.
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| Permanent Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu delivered the opening speech at the International Conference on Cooperation for Peaceful and Developed Borders, Seas and Islands. (Photo: Anh Son) |
Attending the workshop were Permanent Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu; Mr. Pierre Du Ville, Head of the Wallonie-Bruxelles Delegation in Vietnam; leaders of ministries, departments and branches; former leaders of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, former leaders of the National Border Committee, localities, domestic and foreign experts...
For peaceful and developed borders, seas and islands
Speaking at the opening of the Workshop, Permanent Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu emphasized that the organization of the Workshop stems from the significance of border and territorial work and the objective practical requirements of management and cooperation for peaceful and developed borders, seas and islands.
Borders, both on land and at sea, define the living and development space of countries, and at the same time demonstrate the sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction of countries under international law. Therefore, clearly demarcating borders and effectively managing and cooperating on the basis of international law provisions are key factors to ensure peace, stability and sustainable development as well as to build long-term friendly relations between the countries concerned.
In the current context, many traditional and non-traditional security challenges are emerging and posing many threats to the international order and the common interests of many countries and the international community. Therefore, "We are not only facing disputes over territorial and maritime sovereignty and the complex and worrying developments from these disputes, but also facing many non-traditional challenges such as climate change, marine pollution, resource depletion and transnational crime", said Permanent Deputy Minister Nguyen Minh Vu.
These issues not only deeply affect the security and sustainable development of each country but also impact the security and development of the region and the world.
The Permanent Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs shared that as a country with over 5,000 km of land border and 3,260 km of coastline, Vietnam clearly sees the significance, necessity and need for international cooperation on sea and territorial borders. Important steps in resolving border issues with Vietnam's neighboring countries have clearly demonstrated that.
On land, Vietnam has completed the planning and demarcation of the border with China and Laos; has completed the planning of the entire land border with Cambodia, and has demarcated and marked 84% of the land border.
At sea, Vietnam also successfully negotiated and signed many delimitation agreements with neighboring countries, such as: resolving the issue of maritime delimitation in the Gulf of Thailand with Thailand in 1997, delimiting the Gulf of Tonkin with China in 2000, delimiting the continental shelf in 2003 and the exclusive economic zone in 2022 with Indonesia.
In addition, Vietnam also conducts border cooperation with many countries in and outside the region with the aim of maintaining peace, stability, development, ensuring freedom of navigation and aviation, and resolving non-traditional maritime security challenges in the East Sea.
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| Delegates attending the International Workshop on Cooperation for Peaceful and Developed Borders, Seas and Islands. (Photo: Anh Son) |
Deputy Minister Nguyen Minh Vu affirmed that this is the result of the spirit of cooperation mainly through peaceful and goodwill negotiations based on international law. The above results are also the premise for strengthening friendly relations, maintaining peace and stability, creating a favorable environment for cooperation and sustainable development with neighboring countries. Regarding the remaining border issues, Vietnam is continuing to make efforts with relevant countries to resolve them on the basis of international law.
The Important Role of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea
Permanent Deputy Minister Nguyen Minh Vu said that the East Sea, with its strategic position in terms of economy and security, is currently the focus of many major challenges in traditional and non-traditional security.
In addressing these challenges, international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), plays an extremely important role as a comprehensive and universal legal framework for all activities at sea and in the ocean, which is widely recognized by the international community. UNCLOS is not only a practical tool for countries to delimit maritime boundaries and peacefully resolve disputes, but also creates a solid basis for international cooperation activities at sea.
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| Permanent Deputy Minister Nguyen Minh Vu said that the East Sea, with its strategic position in terms of economy and security, is currently the focus of many major challenges in traditional and non-traditional security. (Photo: Anh Son) |
As one of the pioneering countries in signing and implementing UNCLOS, Vietnam commits to respecting and applying the provisions of UNCLOS to resolve maritime issues, aiming to work with the international community to protect and maintain an international legal order at sea and in the ocean based on UNCLOS, encouraging development and cooperation, as affirmed by the National Assembly of Vietnam in the Resolution ratifying UNCLOS on June 23, 1994.
Permanent Deputy Minister Nguyen Minh Vu hopes that today's workshop, with the participation of many prestigious scholars at home and abroad, representatives of agencies and localities that regularly handle matters related to territorial borders, will be an opportunity for delegates to discuss and exchange on emerging issues related to borders, seas and islands, especially in terms of law and practice of cooperation, management and development.
Thereby, the valuable knowledge and experiences shared in the workshop will more or less help nurture and promote deeper international cooperation to contribute to maintaining peace and sustainable development in the region and the world.
In his speech, Mr. Pierre Du Ville, Head of the Wallonie-Bruxelles Delegation in Vietnam, said that today's workshop is part of an institutional cooperation project, aiming to enhance capacity among partners in the field of border demarcation and management.
At the same time, it contributes to the implementation of a sustainable development goal that can be considered central to the world today, and at a time when conflicts are still being resolved, or unfortunately are being resolved by force rather than dialogue. Sustainable Development Goal 16 on maintaining justice, maintaining peace and strengthening institutions for this purpose.
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| Mr. Pierre Du Ville, Head of the Wallonie-Bruxelles Delegation in Vietnam, spoke at the Workshop. (Photo: Anh Son) |
Mr. Pierre Du Ville emphasized that the central object of this project is extremely important. The East Sea, a strategic crossroads of Southeast Asia, has been the focus of Vietnam's concerns for centuries. The geostrategic importance of the East Sea continues to increase and becomes a major issue for the entire region.
Today, these issues have both legal and economic dimensions. On the one hand, differing interpretations of international maritime law complicate efforts to resolve conflicts peacefully. On the other hand, the South China Sea’s rich natural resources – oil, gas and fisheries – are central to important economic issues. In addition, the security of commercial sea lanes is vital to the economies of Vietnam and the region.
The Head of the Wallonie-Bruxelles Delegation to Vietnam welcomed Vietnam's role as 'an example' in prioritizing diplomatic measures and bilateral dialogue with neighboring countries, as well as actively participating in regional forums, especially in ASEAN, to promote peaceful settlement of disputes.
With this cooperation project, the Head of the Wallonie-Bruxelles Delegation in Vietnam hopes to make a small contribution to finding solutions, and the desire to maintain the effective partnership between the National Border Commission and the Free University of Brussels will once again be clearly demonstrated at the Joint Standing Committee meeting held in Brussels next November, with the aim of establishing the next cooperation program 2025-2027.
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| Speakers take souvenir photos at the opening session of the International Conference on Cooperation for Peaceful and Developed Borders, Seas and Islands. (Photo: Anh Son) |
It is expected that in the morning, the Workshop will have two sessions. Session 1: Land border issues and Session 2: Sea border issues.
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