(VOV/VNA) – Vietnam applies the provisions of United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and calls upon other countries to fully implement the Convention to build a world of peace, stability and sustainable development. Ambassador Le Hoai Trung, head of the Permanent Representative Mission of Vietnam to the United Nations, made the statement at a ceremony hosted by the UN General Assembly in New York on December 10 to mark the 30th anniversary of the Convention signing. Trung said right after the UNCLOS was adopted, Vietnam was among 107 signatories of the Convention on 30 April 1982. Since Convention took effect in 1994, Vietnam has made efforts to implement Convention as stated in a report sent to UN Secretary General as an official document of the 67^th UN General Assembly. On 21 June 2012, the National Assembly of Vietnam adopted the Vietnam Law of the Sea. By adopting its Law of the Sea, Vietnam harmonizes its sea-related laws with the provisions of the UNCLOS.

Ambassador Trung said Vietnam, a country with 3,260 km of coastline, always respects the objectives and principles of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Vietnam calls on all countries to sign the Convention and other countries to support the implementation of the ASEAN-China Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and the 2012 Declaration of the ASEAN Foreign Ministerial Meeting on ASEAN 6-point principles on the East Sea. Trung reiterated Vietnam’s readiness to promptly sign a code of conduct in the East Sea to promote peace, stability and cooperation in the region.