Russia, Vietnam remain stable partners in maritime security

This comes following Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh delivering a key speech at the recent high-level open debate “Enhancing Maritime Security – A Case for International Cooperation” of the UN Security Council (UNSC).

In his speech, the Vietnamese Government chief affirmed the country’s readiness to contribute to promoting dialogue, building trust, and developing co-operation with other countries in order to maintain maritime security. He therefore raised three important proposals in which to effectively respond to maritime security challenges.

Firstly, it remains imperative that states and international organisations develop a comprehensive, extensive, and broad awareness of the importance of oceans and seas, along with the continued threats to maritime security.

Secondly, maritime security must be considered a global issue and therefore requires solutions on a global scale.

“Vietnam proposes the development of a network of arrangements and initiatives for regional maritime security with the United Nations working as the coordinator, to bolster information and experience sharing, coordinate actions, and address common challenges in a timely manner,” PM Chinh said.

Thirdly, the policies, regulations, and conducts of states at sea must be in line with international law, especially the UN Charter and the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

The Vietnamese initiative captured the attention of both domestic and foreign scholars, including those from Russia.

Dr. Korolev said that PM Chinh's speech displayed a consistent view in terms of the nation's foreign policy. In general, all three proposals put forward in his speech are in line with Vietnamese foreign policy in recent years, especially in the East Sea-related issues.

Furthermore, Valeria Vershinina from the ASEAN Centre at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) stated that both sides have substantial potential to boost their co-operation in maritime security in the near future.

This comes following a Russian expert commenting on PM Chinh’s proposals at the UNSC's recent high-level open debate on maritime security.

The Vietnamese approach to regional security issues coincides with that of Russia, in terms of concerted efforts being required to make progress in this field, with the participation of international organisations and regional architectures such as ASEAN and the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF). In addition, it is also vital to maintain the co-ordinating role of the UN.

She therefore noted that bilateral co-operation in maritime issues coveres different fields, from information sharing to research, exploration, symposiums on marine organisms, shipbuilding, maritime infrastructure, off-shore exploitation, naval collaboration, along with search and rescue operations done at sea.

Currently, the two nations are continuing to maintain comprehensive co-operation in the naval field, including the purchase of weapons and equipment from Russia.

Moreover, both sides have conducted joint exercises such as emergency support for submarines at Cam Ranh port, technical assistance of Russian experts at Vietnamese shipyards, exchanges through naval channel, warship visits, joint anti-piracy exercises in the Strait of Malacca, along with a host of other interactions.