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Jun 10, 2016 / 09:06

150 domestic and foreign experts attend international seminar on maritime security

The Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam and the Delegation of the European Union to Vietnam co-chaired an international seminar on maritime security and development in Ha Long City in the northern province of Quang Ninh on June 9.

The seminar themed "Maritime Security and Development: International cooperation and European - Asian Experience - Sharing" made a chance for Asian and European experts, scholars and policy makers to exchange views, share experiences and give consultations on best practices in the promotion of international cooperation, featuring measures to effectively cope with traditional and non-traditional security challenges at sea as well as maritime management mechanisms, boost the sustainable development of marine resources and strengthen the system of global ocean governance.
 
The seminar also aims to strengthen the capacity of countries and the region in dealing with maritime security issues and the best exploitation of marine resources to cater for their specific needs.
The various marine issues in Asia and Europe were discussed at the seminar, including the maritime traditional and non-traditional security challenges, sea management and exploitation, multi-national maritime governance mechanisms and coordination, the role of law and measures to resolve the dispute.
The seminar stressed the need to skip sovereignty disputes, to focus on managing crises and promoting practical collaboration to build trust, towards the swift formulation of a Code of Conduct in the East Sea. 
A highlight during the seminar was the call for a political strong will, trust building measures and respect of principles, and international legal standards to overcome the difference of opinions on sovereignty claims and the gap in response to protect the marine and common living spaces of countries. 
Speaking at the openning ceremony, Ambassador Bruno Angelet - Head of EU Delegation in Vietnam - emphasized the importance of sharing the experience between the Europe and Asia in maritime security issues.
Ambassador Bruno Angelet, Head of EU Delegation in Vietnam (L) attends the seminar.
Ambassador Bruno Angelet, Head of EU Delegation in Vietnam (L) attends the seminar.
Ambassador Bruno Angelet also confirmed the EU commitment to promote sovereign equality among nations in the world, including maritime issues in Asia.
Addressing the seminar, Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Dang Dinh Quy said that at present, the greater risk of maritime security threatens efforts to cooperate and trust among the people in the maritime space protection and security. 
Deputy Minister Quy said: "In order to address these security issues, especially maritime security, we need to have two things: Cooperative determination of nations, or in other words, the political will and the basis for cooperation, the international law.”
He shared the view that international order, maritime security and safety should be maintained and improved, with respect to the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. 
The Deputy Minister expressed his desire that the seminar will become a  2nd "Shangri-La Dialogue".
The seminar was attended by many foreign leading experts on juridical and security from Asia and Europe.
Participating in the event were famous scholars from member countries of the European Union, including Professor Erik Franckx, member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration, Dean of International Law and European Law of Vrije University, Brussels, Belgium; Doctor Sébastien Colin, Researcher, Deputy Chief Editor of China Research Center of France; Navy Colonel Michiel Hijmans, former Deputy permanent military representative of the Netherlands in NATO and the EU responsible for maritime security alliances, the Hague, Netherlands.
The well-known experts from Asia including Professor Kotani, Senior Researcher in the Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA), Tokyo, Japan; Professor Sienho Yee, a expert in International Law, Institute for Research on borders and oceans and the Institute for International Law, Wuhan University, China; and Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), Beijing, China also attended the seminar.