Thai PM calls for peaceful resolutions to East Sea disputes
Prime Minister Prayut and President Obama provide a photo opportunity for the media covering the US-Asean summit. (EPA photo)
(VOVworld)- On Wednesday, Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha stressed the importance of maintaining regional stability in the Asia-Pacific and expressed full support for the international community in finding peaceful solutions to disputes in the East Sea.
He was speaking at a working dinner on the "Regional Strategic Outlook" hosted by US President Barack Obama during the US-Asean Summit at the Sunnylands Centre in Rancho Mirage, California. Prime Minister Prayut was quoted as saying that as the East Sea conflict was a highly sensitive issue with a potentially strong impact on geopolitics, the economy and international cooperation, and should be resolved with prudence and the right approach in order to ensure peace, stability and growth in the region.
Prayut said Thailand supported efforts to ensure freedom and safety in sea navigation and air transportation in the disputed area, to ensure that international trade and travel through the East Sea remains safe and uninterrupted. He called on all sides to refrain from complicating the situation and should instead initiate constructive dialogue to ease tensions in the disputed areas. Gen Prayut said he still believed the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) was a useful mechanism to win trust among the concerned parties and bring about peaceful solutions. All sides should, therefore, follow the DOC and speed up negotiations on drafting a legally binding code of conduct (COC), he said.