Border demarcation and effective management and cooperation: Key factors to ensure peace, stability and development

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... The workshop will have two sessions. Session 1: Land border issues and Session 2: Sea border issues.

International cooperation, an important step forward in resolving border issues with Vietnam's neighboring countries

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.

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.

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.

Vietnam pledges to respect and apply UNCLOS provisions to resolve maritime issues

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.

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.

Vietnam becomes 'an example' in prioritizing diplomatic measures and bilateral dialogue with neighboring countries

In his speech, Mr. Pierre Du Ville, Head of the Wallonie-Bruxelles Delegation to Vietnam, said that the Workshop is part of an institutional cooperation project, aiming to strengthen the capacity of 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 the main goal of the world today, and at a time when conflicts are still being resolved, or unfortunately, resolved by force instead of dialogue.

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 dispute resolution.

Mr. Pierre Du Ville, Head of the Wallonie-Bruxelles Delegation in Vietnam, spoke at the Workshop. (Photo: Anh Son)

The Head of the Wallonie-Bruxelles Delegation in Vietnam hopes to make a small contribution to finding solutions, and the desire to maintain the fruitful partnership between the National Border Commission and the Free University of Brussels will be clearly demonstrated once again at the meeting of the Joint Standing Committee to be held in Brussels next November, with the aim of establishing the next cooperation programme 2025-2027.

This morning’s workshop also had the participation of many prestigious scholars at home and abroad, representatives of agencies and localities that regularly handle border-related issues, providing 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 experience shared at 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./.

Thu Hang