The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that, at the meeting, the Politburo member, the Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh affirmed the great role of the sea for Vietnam, especially in the context of Vietnam determining the goal of becoming a strong sea, sustainable development, prosperity, security and safety as in Resolution 36-NQ/TW of the Central Committee of the Party Central
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh highly appreciated the value of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), considering this a constitution for the ocean, creating a legal framework to regulate all activities at sea, and being the foundation for maintaining order, maintaining peace and stability at sea, serving development in seas and oceans, including the East Sea.
The Prime Minister also reaffirmed Vietnam's consistent policy in strictly respecting and complying with international law, including UNCLOS 1982, to peacefully resolve disagreements and disputes, including disputes related to the sea.
The Prime Minister believes that ITLOS is an equal "playground" for all member states, whether large or small, to use to express their views on legal issues on the sea as well as protect their legitimate rights.
The Prime Minister highly appreciated the successful organization of the Regional Workshop on "The role of ITLOS in resolving disputes related to the Law of the Sea" in Hanoi on May 5-6, 2025 and was pleased to see this activity as a new step forward in the relationship between Vietnam and ITLOS.
The Prime Minister also acknowledged that ITLOS has accepted Vietnamese people to work at the Court, and informed that Vietnam has selected and introduced suitable candidates to the position of ITLOS Judge for the 2026-2035 term.
For his part, Chief Justice of ITLOS Thomas Heidar highly appreciated the support and companionship of the Vietnamese Government with ITLOS in organizing this Regional Conference in Vietnam.
He shared that Vietnam is a suitable place to organize the event because it is a country that has a close relationship with the sea, not only from the geographical location but also in the long -term commitment of Vietnam for the 1982 Unclos Convention, which is manifested by specific actions such as Vietnam's active participation in the United Nations Conference on the Third Sea Law and is one of the Early Conventions, the Convention of the Convention; Vietnam has approved the two execution agreements within the Unclos, which is the UNCLOS (2006) agreement and the Agreement on Fish Source (2018); Vietnam is one of the first countries to sign the agreement on conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in an area outside the national jurisdiction (BBNJ).
Mr. Tomas Heidar highly appreciated Vietnam's active support for ITLOS' work and the qualifications of the Vietnamese legal staff through Vietnam's active participation in the presentation session at ITLOS regarding the provision of Court opinions on climate change, and nomination of outstanding legal experts from Vietnam for the position of ITLOS judge for the 2026-2035 term.
ITLOS - an international court established on the basis of UNCLOS 1982 - has the authority to try and resolve disputes related to the interpretation and application of UNCLOS between countries that choose the Court as the receiving agency, as well as legal issues stipulated in other agreements between member countries.
The court currently has 21 judges elected by Convention member countries, and has resolved and accepted more than 30 maritime disputes after 30 years of operation.
