Vietnam greatly contributes to peace development in Asia-Pacific: Russian expert

In the context of complicated developments in the Asia-Pacific region in general and the East Sea in particular, Vietnam’s approach to regional issues has made significant contributions to peace development in the region, said a Russian expert.

Igor Olegovich Mishin from the Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO) under the Russian Academy of Sciences made the statement in an interview granted to Vietnam News Agency correspondents in Russia on June 27.

He said Vietnam’s approach to issues in the Asia-Pacific region and the East Sea is based on the principles of maintaining peace and friendly neighbourliness.

The Southeast Asian country supports the settlement of conflicts via international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), he added.

The expert expressed his belief that Vietnam’s active viewpoints will receive widespread support from the international community.

Evaluating the coordination between Vietnam and Russian at international forums and on Asian-Pacific matters, Mishin said the time-tested relations between the two countries are a strategic partnership.

The two sides have been collaborating effectively within the framework of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), and ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting Plus (ADMM ), he said.

He added that Vietnam and Russia back the UNCLOS 1982 and consider it a legal foundation to address disputes and conflicts in the East Sea./.