No pressure or use of force in the East Sea
This was emphasized at the 5th Vietnam-US Political-Security-Defense Dialogue, held on June 20 in Hanoi.
Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister Le Luong Minh and US Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs Andrew J. Shapiro and their delegations met and discussed bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest and concern within the framework of the 5th annual Vietnam-US Political-Security-Defense Dialogue. The Dialogue reflects the continued cooperation between the US and Vietnam on the basis of the success of the 4th Dialogue held in Washington DC last June.
At this 5th Dialogue, the two sides reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral relations on the basis of friendship, mutual respect and shared commitment to peace, stability, prosperity and security in the Asia-Pacific region.
The two sides affirmed their shared interests in elevating their partnership as discussed during the 4th Dialogue in Washington DC last year. They also discussed measures to enhance cooperation in various areas such as non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, counter-terrorism, law enforcement cooperation and information sharing, maritime security, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, and other areas of defense cooperation as outlined in the Memorandum of Understanding on Advancing Bilateral Defense Cooperation signed in September 2011. The two sides pledged to continue cooperation in addressing war legacies such as POW/MIA recovery, humanitarian mine clearance, and continuing to address the Agent Orange/dioxin issue.
Recognizing the important roles of the United States and Vietnam in maintaining peace and security in the Asia-Pacific region and the world, the two sides also discussed comprehensive security issues that reflect the depth and breadth of the growing relationship between the two countries.
The delegations of the two countries emphasized the importance of enhancing cooperation between the two countries in regional organizations such as the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting Plus (ADMM+), the East Asia Summit (EAS) and the Mekong Subregion Initiative (LMI).
The two sides discussed current developments in the East Sea and agreed that maintaining peace, stability, safety and freedom of navigation is in the common interest of the international community. The United States reaffirmed that it does not take sides in competing claims to sovereignty over geological features in the East Sea. The two sides also shared the view that territorial disputes in the East Sea should be resolved by peaceful means, without coercion or the use of force; and that territorial and maritime claims must be consistent with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
The two sides reaffirmed the importance of the 2002 ASEAN-China Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) and looked forward to progress towards a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea to provide a framework of rules to govern and regulate the conduct of parties in the South China Sea, including dispute settlement and conflict prevention.
The 6th dialogue will take place in Washington DC in 2013./.
According to (VOV) - LT
