VietNamNet Bridge – Viet Nam will continue to actively co-operate with other ASEAN members and partners as well as the world community to build a Southeast Asian region of peace, stability and development, a Vietnamese defence official said.

Addressing the ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting Retreat in Bali, Indonesia, yesterday, Deputy Minister of National Defence Lt-General Nguyen Chi Vinh also spoke of Viet Nam's stance on the settlement of issues relating to the East Sea.

Vinh informed ASEAN members of the content of the agreement on basic principles guiding the settlement of sea issues between Viet Nam and China that was signed between the two countries during Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong's recent visit to China.

ASEAN members highlighted Viet Nam's spirit of independence and self-reliance, its sense of responsibility and efforts in co-operating with concerned parties, especially China, to solve issues relating to the East Sea in order to maintain peace and stability in the region.

The retreat assessed defence and security co-operation activities this year, put forward orientations for future co-operation and discussed regional security issues of ASEAN members' concern.

On regional security issues, ASEAN members recognised natural calamities as an emerging challenge that had pushed millions of people in Cambodia, the Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam into difficult situations.

Regarding maritime security issue, ASEAN Defence Ministers expressed the wish to build the East Sea into the region of peace, co-operation and development, settle all disputes based on the principle of peaceful negotiations and in line with international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News