(VOVworld) - Vietnam has always respected the freedom of navigation and aviation in the East Sea, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Le Hai Binh said.  Binh made the statement on Thursday in reply to reporters’ queries on Vietnam’s response to US ships’ recent passing near a number of geological structures of the Truong Sa (Spratly) islands: “As a sovereign state over the Hoang Sa (Paracels) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos in the East Sea and a member of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), Vietnam has continuously respected the freedom of navigation and aviation in the East Sea on basis of the relevant provisions of the Convention and in accordance with the regulations of the coastal states. Vietnam calls for parties involved to actively contribute to the maintenance of peace, stability, security and navigation and aviation safety in the East Sea on the basis of international law, including the UNCLOS and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC).