Vietnam always complies with, fully and responsibly implements the provisions of UNCLOS.

On the morning of December 10, in Hanoi, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs held a ceremony to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) coming into effect.

Speaking at the event, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu said: "As a coastal country with a coastline of over 3,260 km and thousands of large and small islands, including the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos, Vietnam is always clearly aware of the role and importance of the sea for the peace, security and development of the country. Respecting and fully and responsibly implementing the provisions of UNCLOS is completely consistent with Vietnam's policies and guidelines up to now."

Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu speaks at the Ceremony.

According to Mr. Nguyen Minh Vu, in order to implement UNCLOS, in recent years, Vietnam has gradually improved its legal system on seas and oceans, including the 2012 Vietnam Law of the Sea, issued documents, strategies, and plans to build policies to serve the needs of sustainable development of Vietnam's marine economy, and at the same time applied the provisions of UNCLOS to determine sea areas and maritime boundaries, and manage and use the sea.

Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu emphasized: "With the spirit of the rule of law, Vietnam advocates persistently resolving maritime disputes by peaceful means, in accordance with international law, including UNCLOS."

Implementing this policy, Vietnam has achieved many successes in resolving maritime delimitation issues with neighboring countries, such as jointly resolving maritime delimitation issues in the Gulf of Thailand in 1997 with Thailand - ASEAN's first maritime delimitation agreement after the Convention came into effect.

Vietnam is also the first and only country to date to have a maritime delimitation agreement with China - the delimitation of the Gulf of Tonkin in 2000.

In addition, Vietnam and Indonesia resolved the issue of delimitation of the continental shelf and then the exclusive economic zone in 2003 and 2022 respectively, enriching the practice of resolving maritime delimitation issues according to the provisions of the Convention.

In addition, Vietnam has actively participated in activities within the framework of international mechanisms established under the Convention, contributing many outstanding initiatives that have been recognized by the international community, demonstrating Vietnam's role in international and regional forums related to seas and oceans, such as the United Nations' ocean processes and law of the sea.

Vietnam has held the position of a member of the Council of the International Seabed Authority, made substantial contributions to the process of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea providing advisory opinions on climate change and international law, actively participated in the negotiation process and soon signed the Agreement on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in sea areas beyond national jurisdiction - the most recent international document related to the implementation of the Convention.

Vietnam also nominated experienced and highly qualified experts to participate in the agencies established within the framework of UNCLOS, including Associate Professor Dr. Dao Viet Ha being elected to the Legal and Technical Commission, the International Seabed Authority, and nominating candidates for the position of judge of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) for the term 2026 - 2035.

At the United Nations, Vietnam and the delegations of 11 countries co-founded the UNCLOS Friends Group with more than 100 member countries from all geographical regions to promote the implementation of the Convention.

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea - UNCLOS, a document regulating activities on the seas and oceans, which cover more than 70% of the earth's surface, officially came into effect on November 16, 1994.

Currently with 170 members, UNCLOS has become the most important legal document and one of the greatest achievements in international law of the international community.

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Source: https://vtcnews.vn/viet-nam-luon-tuan-thu-thuc-thi-day-du-co-trach-nhiem-cac-quy-dnh-cua-unclos-ar912650.html