Dutch Prime Minister attends Roundtable Discussion 'International Law and Order at Sea'

Prime Minister Mark Rutte stressed the importance of the rule of law, including UNCLOS 1982, and affirmed that the Netherlands, as the “capital of international law”, always complies with and supports international law.

Thủ tướng Hà Lan thăm Học viện Ngoại giao và dự Hội thảo bàn tròn ‘Luật pháp quốc tế và trật tự trên biển’

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte greets students of the Diplomatic Academy. (Source: VNA)

On November 2, during his official visit to Vietnam (November 1-2), Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte visited the Diplomatic Academy and spoke at the roundtable discussion on “International law and order at sea” organized by the Diplomatic Academy in collaboration with the Clingendael Academy (Netherlands).

Prime Minister Mark Rutte also presented certificates to students of the Law of the Sea course co-organized by the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam and the Clingendael Academy in the Netherlands.

Prime Minister Mark Rutte stressed the importance of the rule of law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and affirmed that the Netherlands, as the “capital of international law”, always adheres to and supports international law.

Prime Minister Mark Rutte highly appreciated the prospects of Vietnam-Netherlands cooperation, affirming that he will continue to maintain existing cooperation and expand cooperation potential in other fields.

Congratulating the Vietnamese students on their successful completion of the second Clingendael Law of the Sea Course, Prime Minister Mark Rutte said the course demonstrated the efforts of Vietnam-Netherlands cooperation to overcome differences and demonstrate the commitment of both countries to the international legal order.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte speaks at the Roundtable on “International Law and Order at Sea”. (Source: VNA)

The second Clingendael Law of the Sea Course, co-organized by the Diplomatic Academy and the Clingendael Academy, took place from October 30 to November 2 at the Diplomatic Academy. The course is part of the “Train the Trainer” diplomatic capacity building cooperation program between the two Academies.

The course is a testament to the long-standing cooperation between the Netherlands and Vietnam in general, and between Clingendael Academy and the Diplomatic Academy in particular.

Mr. Adriaan Zondag, Representative of Clingendael Academy, commented that the Clingendael Academy's capacity building courses for ASEAN countries demonstrate the Netherlands' strong commitment to promoting understanding of international law in the region.

Presenting at the Workshop, Judge Horinouchi Hidehisa, International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) affirmed that UNCLOS is the "Constitution of the ocean" and therefore all maritime law issues must develop in accordance with UNCLOS.

Mr. Horinouchi also mentioned the new and unforeseen challenges in drafting and adopting UNCLOS, especially issues related to technological progress and climate change such as sea level rise and the conservation of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ). The judge highly appreciated the importance of the “High Seas Treaty” on BBNJ and the ability of multilateral diplomacy to face difficult challenges.

Regarding future prospects, the Judge said it is necessary to expand the scope of the Law of the Sea to “new horizons” such as: new technology (unmanned vehicles), rational and effective exploitation of unexplored seabed areas, while continuing to improve the law to solve problems in other traditional areas.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte speaks at the Roundtable on “International Law and Order at Sea”. (Source: VNA)

Also attending and speaking at the workshop was Professor Alfred HA Soons, Utrecht University (Netherlands). Professor Alfred emphasized the importance of the dispute settlement mechanism in UNCLOS, as well as the need for countries to continue to develop and clarify the provisions of UNCLOS in the context of technological, economic and social development. The professor affirmed that international law applies equally to countries regardless of size and thus contributes to achieving a fair and equitable order at sea.

Professor Alfred also said that UNCLOS is currently facing the need to add provisions or change the interpretation of some existing provisions due to the volatile world situation. However, international law has more flexible ways to change without establishing new agreements.

Dr. Seline Trevisanut, Utrecht University (Netherlands) in her presentation then addressed the aspect of climate change and its impact on international law and order at sea. In particular, Dr. Seline mentioned the issues between climate and ocean use, climate and human rights and climate migration. Dr. Seline affirmed that UNCLOS and the ITLOS opinion are “key” to managing and better understanding this relationship between climate and ocean.

Following that, Dr. Nguyen Thi Lan Anh, Director of the East Sea Institute, Diplomatic Academy, emphasized the importance of USCLOS, the dispute settlement mechanism in UNCLOS and affirmed that UNCLOS is the sole legal basis for maritime rights and claims. In the context of many changes in the world, UNCLOS remains a “living document” that can continue to be improved and is a comprehensive legal framework for managing activities at sea.

The roundtable aims to highlight and provide a forum for discussion on the role of international maritime law and the rules-based international order for peace and stability in the South China Sea region.

Dr. Pham Lan Dung, Acting Director of the Diplomatic Academy, affirmed the importance of protecting maritime order established since UNCLOS and promoting the spirit of respect for international law.

Dr. Pham Lan Dung highly appreciated the new steps of international law to resolve emerging challenges and disputes at sea by peaceful means, while also saying that there are still many cases of disregard for maritime law, threatening maritime security and increasing the risk of conflict such as the recent situation in the East Sea.

Therefore, the Workshop not only reaffirmed the importance of international law and maritime order for peace and stability in the East Sea, but also provided an opportunity to listen to the opinions of the world's leading maritime law experts on how international law responds to current maritime challenges. Dr. Pham Lan Dung also congratulated the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the Netherlands and expressed hope that the relationship between the two countries will develop further in the future.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte visits the Diplomatic Academy. (Source: VNA)

The workshop was honored to have the participation of Deputy Foreign Minister Le Thi Thu Hang, Vietnamese Ambassador to the Netherlands Ngo Huong Nam, Malaysian Ambassador to Vietnam Dato' Tan Yang Thai, Indian Ambassador to Vietnam Sandeep Arya and former Vietnamese Ambassador to the Netherlands Huynh Minh Chinh.

In addition, there were more than 140 guests from units in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a number of relevant ministries, departments, branches and research institutes, representatives of a number of Diplomatic Corps, a number of domestic and international experts, lecturers and students of the Law of the Sea course organized by the Diplomatic Academy in collaboration with the Clingendael Academy and more than 200 students of the Diplomatic Academy participating in the reception of the Prime Minister of the Netherlands.

On the sidelines of the Conference, the Diplomatic Academy organized an exhibition of a collection of maps about Vietnam and Southeast Asian countries dating from the 16th-17th centuries donated by the Embassy of the Netherlands.

Source