Vietnamese Ambassador Vu Ho, who is also acting head of the ASEAN Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) delegation of Vietnam (Photo: VNA)

Addressing the 2-day events in Manila, Ambassador Ho, who is also acting head of the ASEAN Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) delegation of Vietnam, praised the role of the AMF and the EAMF in promoting maritime cooperation within ASEAN and between ASEAN and its partners. He called on the partners to continue supporting and cooperating with ASEAN in a spirit of mutual trust, and making substantive contributions to ASEAN mechanisms like the EAMF.

Because countries are facing many complicated maritime security issues, Ho stressed countries’ sense of responsibility and goodwill in maintaining peace, security, stability, and cooperation in the region, particularly in the East Sea (internationally known as the South China Sea), on the basis of dialogue, consultation, adherence to international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and implementation of international commitments and agreements.