Dr. Nguyen Hung Son gave a speech at the 15th East Sea International Conference on the East Sea.

Responding to the media at the 15th East Sea International Conference on the East Sea organized by the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam (DAV) in Ho Chi Minh City, Dr. Nguyen Hung Son, DAV’s Deputy Director said that the workshop has been creating an open, frankness and friendly dialogue flatform to strengthening common understanding, promoting trust and cooperation in the region...

For peace, stability, and development in the region

Answering questions from reporters about the significance and achievements of the 15th International Conference on the East Sea held from October 25-26, with the theme “Luminate the Grey, Light up the Green", Dr. Nguyen Hung Son said that since the first international conference on the East Sea held 15 years ago, the Conferences with the goal of building an informal, public, and open forum for international experts and scholars to discuss the situation in the East Sea, and find solutions that contribute to peace, stability, and development in the region.

Dr. Nguyen Hung Son emphasized that the International Conference on the East Sea has become an indispensable event and forum for all those interested in maintaining peace, stability, and development in the East Sea.

Up to now, the International Conference on the East Sea has gradually matured and upgraded to become the leading prestigious semi-official dialogue forum in the region, contributing to connecting leaders, experts, scholars, and policymakers from many regions of the world who are concerned about the situation in the East Sea.

More and more high-ranking politicians from countries and international organizations are participating and making important statements at the Conference, expressing their views, showing their interest in the East Sea’s issues, and affirming their stance to maintain regional commitment.

To luminate the gray

Sharing the new points of the 15th Conference, Dr. Hung Son said that the DAV always tries to find and innovate in coming up with ideas and ways to organize the International Conference on the East Sea to attract widespread attention from international public opinion.

The first new point of this year's Conference is the theme of the event: "Luninate the Gray, light up the Green". According to the implication, "Luminate the gray" aims at the goal of openness and open discussion, making the maritime space more transparent and stable, promoting respect for international law, and limiting conflicts, and unwanted collisions at sea.

In the "Light up the green" sections, the conference aims to identify future maritime cooperation potentials, through promoting experiences and practices of cooperation in important areas such as green transformation, industrial technologies, new technology, research and investment in wind power, marine energy conversion... This approach is deeply interesting and highly appreciated by experts and delegates attending the Conference.

The second new point of the 15th Conference is that for the first time, the International Conference on the East Sea organized a discussion session exclusively for representatives of the Coast Guard forces of some countries along the East Sea, aiming to promote cooperation for a "greener" and "more transparent" East Sea.

In addition, the Conference upgraded the session dedicated to young leaders in the region to become a plenary session in the general agenda. For many years, the Young Leaders Program has become an event held in parallel with the main Conference, creating a scientific playground for generations of young researchers from many countries.

This year, the Conference dedicated a separate session to young leaders, to create awareness for the next generation about the importance of peace, cooperation, and the rule of law and to seek new perspectives on solutions to the East Sea’s issue.

The International Conference on the East Sea organized by the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam has become an indispensable event and forum for all those interested in maintaining peace, stability, and development in the East Sea.

Light up the green…

With many innovations in organizational form and practical content and discussion topics, Dr. Nguyen Hung Son said that this is an opportunity to summarize 15 years of international seminar series on the East Sea organized by the DAV.

The content of the discussion at the Conference spans many aspects, from political-diplomatic aspects, legal struggles, and on-the-ground activities, especially the "gray zone" activities of some stakeholders in the implementation of its maritime claims, the role of multilateral forums in dispute management, new factors affecting disputes in the East Sea such as the role of modern technology and essential infrastructure on the sea…

The conference brought together leading maritime security experts and scholars, former Government officials as well as current officials with many years of work related to the East Sea, thus providing realistic information, assessing and summarizing the situation, find out the causes of tension at sea in recent times and make recommendations to strengthen cooperation, build trust, prevent risks, and avoid escalation of tensions in the East Sea.

Recommendations are reported to policy planning and implementation agencies, thereby influencing appropriate maritime policy. For the attending delegates, meeting directly and interacting and exchanging the actual situation at sea will help spread truthful and objective information to the public, especially the rule of law in resolving maritime disputes peacefully, nurturing positive voices for peace, and building trust in the East Sea.

In that spirit, Dr. Nguyen Hung Son said, that the DAV continues to promote its role in promoting informal and semi-official dialogue on strategic issues, maritime security, international law, and international cooperation on seas and islands; strengthen connections and expand the network of experts, scholars, and domestic, regional and international agencies.

The DAV hopes this annual event will not only become an important, open, inclusive, and creative regional maritime security forum but also become a meeting platform and intersection of interests from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific and beyond.