Undersecretary Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro Meets Permanent Deputy Minister and National Boundary Commission Chairman Nguyen Minh Vu of Viet Nam
Undersecretary Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro meets Permanent Deputy Minister and National Boundary Commission Chairman Nguyen Minh Vu (Photo courtesy of Hanoi PE)
HANOI 28 February 2025 – Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Bilateral Relations and ASEAN Affairs Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro met with Vietnam’s Permanent Deputy Minister and Chairman of the National Boundary Commission Nguyen Minh Vu in Ha Noi on 27 February 2025.
Buoyed by the productive Philippines-Viet Nam Strategic Partnership that marks its tenth anniversary this year, the two senior officials had a comprehensive discussion on issues of mutual interest, especially in the maritime domain. They underscored the importance of upholding international law, particularly the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and pursuing peaceful and constructive approaches in managing the situation in the South China Sea.
Noting the two countries’ differences on the South China Sea, they recognized the need for pragmatic maritime cooperative endeavors in the area, such as on marine environmental protection, conservation and sustainable use of marine resources, marine scientific research, safety of navigation and communication at sea, search and rescue operations, combatting transnational crimes, and in promoting the Law of the Sea.
They encouraged the furtherance of coast guard-to-coast guard and military-to-military cooperation, as well as the exploration of ways forward for the resumption of the two countries’ Joint Oceanographic and Marine Scientific Research Expedition in the South China Sea (JOMSRE-SCS). The two officials noted the progress in the negotiations on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC) and the positive outcomes that arise from the continued coordination among the ASEAN claimant states.
The meeting also touched on other regional and international developments, and multilateral cooperation.
The two countries will convene the 11th Joint Permanent Working Group on Maritime and Oceans Concerns (JPWG-MOC) and the Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) in the Philippines later this year. END
