ASEAN Foreign Ministers asked relevant parties to exercise restraint, avoid acts of damaging peace and stability in the region, and settle divergences through peaceful measures on the basis of international law and the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
They affirmed the importance of maintaining peace and stability, security, safety and freedom of navigation and aviation in the East Sea as well as the ASEAN’s Six-point principles on the East Sea and the Joint Statement of the 15th ASEAN-China Summit on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC).
They also called on all relevant parties to the DOC to fully and effectively implement the DOC in order to create a trusted environment and build trust. ASEAN Foreign Ministers stressed the necessity of early conclusion of a more-binding Code of Conduct (COC)./.
By Huong Giang