Vietnam reafirms sovereignty over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa
VIET NAM REAFFIRMS SOVEREIGNTY OVER HOANG SA AND TRUONG SA
Ha Noi, May 17 (VNA) -- Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Phan Thuy Thanh on Thursday, May 17, described as violating Viet Nam's sovereignty any move made by other countries towards its archipelagos of Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly).
"Any move by other countries towards Viet Nam's Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos as well as its exclusive economic zones and continental shelves without its government's permit is a violation of Viet Nam's sovereignty and rights of sovereignty in these regions," Ms.Thanh said.
She also reaffirmed Viet Nam's position on these two archipelagos by saying "Viet Nam has enough historical evidence and legal ground to affirm its indisputable sovereignty over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos."
In reponse to Viet Nam News Agency's query about Viet Nam's reaction to China's decision to continuously ban fishing operations in the East Sea from June 1st to August 1st this year, Ms.Thanh said:
"A littoral country, Viet Nam has all sovereign rights towards its exclusive economic zones and continental shelves."
"Now as before, Viet Nam intends to solve all disputes relating to the East Sea through peaceful negotiations on the basis of respect for international laws and practices, particularly the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 1992 Manila Declaration on the East Sea."
"While accelerating negotiations for a basic and durable solution to all disputes, all concerned parties should maintain stability on the basis of status-quo and self-restrain, without taking any action to make the situation in these regions more complicated," the spokeswoman said.--VNA
