The East Sea and Vietnam's sovereignty over islands from the perspective of European scholars

On June 10, in the capital Paris of France, a scientific conference took place with the theme: "East Sea and Vietnam's sovereignty issue" with the participation of many scholars and people who love Vietnam's sea and islands.

Vietnamese Ambassador to France Dinh Toan Thang speaks at the conference.

On this occasion, a meeting between overseas Vietnamese who have visited Truong Sa was held along with an exhibition of photos and artifacts about the archipelago.

According to a VNA reporter in Paris, sharing about the meaning and purpose of organizing the event, Ms. Cao Hong Vinh, Head of the Liaison Committee of Vietnamese in Europe for Vietnam's Sea and Islands, said: "This workshop is an opportunity to collect documents, update and exchange the latest information on the situation in the East Sea in recent times. Through the workshop, overseas Vietnamese who have visited Truong Sa and DK1 platform, as well as those who love Vietnam's sea and islands, have the opportunity to connect with each other and organize activities for Vietnam's sea and islands. We hope this will be an annual activity of the Liaison Committee of Vietnamese in Europe for Vietnam's Sea and Islands."

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Vietnamese Ambassador to France Dinh Toan Thang highly appreciated the efforts of individuals and associations contributing to the organization of the conference. The Ambassador said that this is a very meaningful event for overseas Vietnamese, especially those in Europe, demonstrating the affection and attachment of overseas Vietnamese to their homeland, country, and also to the major topics of the nation and people.

Organized at the initiative of the Vietnamese Liaison Committee in Europe for Vietnam's Sea and Islands, the conference received 14 presentations from scholars, professors, doctors, researchers on Asia, the East Sea, economists, educators, from European countries (Poland, Germany, France, Italy, Czech Republic, Ukraine), Canada and Vietnam. The presentations mentioned many perspectives on the East Sea and the issue of Vietnam's sea and island sovereignty, from historical, cultural, political and legal perspectives. The situation in the East Sea, solutions to handle disputes and plans for marine economic development were also mentioned by the speakers. Not only listening to presentations of scientific value, the delegates also exchanged and discussed the issues raised through the presentations.

Speaking to VNA reporters about his perspective on the East Sea and Vietnam's archipelagos, Mr. Patrice Jorland, Professor of History, former President of the France-Vietnam Friendship Association, said that according to international maritime law, Vietnam has a large exclusive economic zone. Mr. Jorland said that Vietnam has sovereignty in the East Sea. Regarding the sovereignty over Truong Sa and Hoang Sa, he said that historical evidence shows that Vietnam has affirmed its sovereignty over these two archipelagos, especially Hoang Sa, since the end of the 18th century, under the Nguyen Dynasty. The French professor also said that the parties involved need to respect international law, and the ASEAN bloc, of which Vietnam is an active member, needs to strengthen solidarity, increase diplomatic efforts and negotiations, and avoid using force to resolve disputes.

Speakers presented papers at the Scientific Conference with the topic:

Speakers presented papers at the scientific conference with the theme: "East Sea and Vietnam's sovereignty issue", on June 10 in Paris (France).

For her part, Ms. Malgorzata Pietrasiak, Professor at the University of Lodz in Poland, an expert on Vietnam, highly appreciated Vietnam's approach to maritime issues, which she called "Hedgingowa" (roughly translated as "risk prevention"). According to her, this is a wise, flexible, peaceful strategy, without tension, but also without concessions. She affirmed: "This method is very effective and brings good points to Vietnamese diplomacy in the international political arena. Vietnam is also very flexible in handling issues".

Currently in Paris, disabled writer Tran Thi Tra My, despite having difficulty walking and speaking, still tried to attend. She said: "The reason I attended the conference is because I am Vietnamese, I often watch the news and regularly learn about Hoang Sa and Truong Sa. By attending the forum, I learned more objective opinions about the situation in Vietnam, and listened to many good articles shared by professors and doctors in the European Union, who are knowledgeable about the issue."

According to Ms. Bui Thi Thu Minh, Overseas Vietnamese, President of Truong Sa Club in Germany, the idea of organizing a workshop is great because if according to tradition, older people like her generation usually only organize fundraising to support soldiers, but young people have a good idea of organizing a workshop to achieve a larger goal of connecting, spreading, and acting with Truong Sa. She emphasized: "Therefore, activities like this will help connect, unite and create strength. That is a great thing and everyone should support so that forums like this can be organized every year in many places, to spread more widely to international friends".

Sea and island sovereignty are always issues of concern not only to Vietnam but also to all countries with maritime borders. With 14 presentations, the conference contributed to providing the public with perspectives and initiatives to build and develop together on the basis of respecting each other's sovereignty and territory.

According to baotintuc.vn

Source link