Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh spoke at the 27th ASEAN Regional Forum (Photo: VNA)
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Speaking to reporters on the outcomes of the forum, Mr. Ho said though the forum was held online, Ministers and representatives of the ARF member countries still managed to present their issues of concern and aspirations for the forum’s development. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the participants showed their determination to promote cooperation to prevent and control the pandemic in a larger scale in the Asia-Pacific region.
Mr. Ho said ARF Ministers were determined to promote dialogue and cooperation mechanisms, strengthen trust and understanding, consolidate confidence, and promote preventive diplomacy amid complications of relations between countries and different national concerns. Notably, at the 27th ASEAN Regional Forum, the ministers adopted 8 important documents and statements.
Regarding the East Sea issue, ARF Foreign Ministers called on the related parties to refrain and resolve disputes through peaceful means based on international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The meeting also supported the full and effective implementation of the Declaration on Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) by ASEAN and China, and urged the two sides to soon finalize the Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) in accordance with international law, especially the 1982 UNCLOS.