(VOVworld) – ASEAN and India senior officials gathered in New Delhi, India, on Wednesday and Thursday to discuss ways to promote cooperation.

At the 19th ASEAN-India Senior Officials Meeting in New Delhi, India.  (Photo: Foreign Ministry/VOV)

Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung who co-chaired the meeting insisted on the consolidated central role of ASEAN and underscored the importance of maintaining peace, stability, security, safety, and freedom of navigation and overflight in the East Sea, saying that this is the interest and responsibility of every country in the region, including India.

Mr. Dung called on countries to respect international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and diplomatic and legal processes in the region, including fully implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea.