(VOVworld) – The ASEAN Regional Forum Defense Officials’ Dialogue between ASEAN and the European Union opened in Brussels on Tuesday.

The Vietnamese delegation is led by Nguyen Duc Thang, Deputy head of the ASEAN Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. An official from the Ministry of National Defense, Colonel Nguyen Thanh Dong spoke about ensuring maritime security in the Asia-Pacific region. He stressed on complicated developments in disputes in the East Sea and the East China Sea. He said that to prevent conflicts, ASEAN has had new initiatives and approaches including a hotline, commitments to not use force, compliance to the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), and consultation to build a Code of Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (COC). Colonel Dong said Vietnam’s consistent policy is to resolve disputes through peaceful measures with respect to international law, maintain a peaceful and stable environment at sea, and avoid confrontations and military conflicts.