Vietnam’s representative has highlighted the ASEAN’s central role in coordinating regional maritime cooperation, especially in working out the agenda and defining the bloc’s priority fields of cooperation, at the recent third ASEAN Maritime Forum (AMF) and the first Expanded AMF (EAMF) in Manila, the Philippines. Addressing the events, Deputy Foreign Minister Pham Quang Vinh presented Vietnam’s stance on strengthening regional maritime links on the basis of international law and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), for the interests of each country and the entire region. Vinh stressed the need to build trust and boost cooperation to ensure peace, stability, security and maritime safety, as well as the solving of disputes by peaceful measures on the basis of international law, the 1982 UNCLOS, and regional agreements like the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) in the Southeast Asia, the Declaration of Code of Conducts of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and soon achieving the Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC). He also highlighted the ASEAN’s central role in coordinating regional maritime cooperation, especially in working out the agenda and defining the bloc’s priority fields of cooperation. The Deputy FM underscored the active implementation of ASEAN’s initiatives on cooperation in marine environment, coping with natural disasters and accidents at sea, especially helping seaman and boats in distress. During the three-day AMF and first Expanded AMF from Oct. 3-5, ASEAN members and East Asian partners agreed to increase cooperation and build trust, in line with ensuring peace, stability, security and maritime safety to create a favourable environment for maritime cooperation. They also emphasised the respect of international law, the 1982 UNCLOS, TAC, DOC, the six-point Principles on the East Sea and the settlement of disputes through peaceful negotiations.