Hanoi (VNA) – The United NationsConvention on the Law of the Sea (1982 UNCLOS), signed on December 10, 1982, isan inclusive and most important global legal framework to regulate rights and obligations of all coastal nations, a senior expert has affirmed.

Vu Hai Dang, a senior research fellow at the Centrefor International Law - National University of Singapore, told the Vietnam NewsAgency (VNA) that the fact that the convention had been ratified by the EU and 167 countries, includinglandlocked nations such as Laos, Mongolia and Switzerland, shows thatits regulations have been widely recognised by the international community.

The implementation of the convention will reduceoverlapping areas and manage disputes more effectively, preventing escalating tensionsin the region, he said.

The expert spoke of the Group of Friends on the UNCLOS,established in June 2021 with Vietnam as a co-founder, and expressed his beliefthat the group will contribute to promoting the respect for international lawand serve as an effective channel for discussions between countries on issuesrelating to seas and islands.

Professor, Dr. Thomas Engelbert from the German Universityof Hamburg held that the UNCLOS is of great significance to maritime securitynot only in Indo-Pacific but also the world as well.

This is the first time that clear regulations onbehaviours at sea have been put forth, he said, viewing the formation of the documentas a milestone in international law relating to the sea.

The convention has been used to successfully settle many complicated maritime disputes, including one on the East Sea in January2013.

Talking about the UNCLOS Group of Friends, initiated byGermany and Vietnam, the professor said such cooperation initiatives and mechanismsare significant and crucial to the implementation of the convention.

Dr. Gerhard Will, former researcher on the East Sea atthe German Institute for International and Security Affairs, said the UNCLOSshould be the ground for any solution in the East Sea.

All regulations for long-term and sustainable purposesmust be based on the convention, he stressed.

In another interview with the VNA, Pavel Gudev, senior research fellow at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations at the Russia Academy of Sciences, described the UNCLOS as a unique experiment in international relations as it was complied over nearly 10 years.

He said the convention could be considered a "constitution" of the sea, as it regulates almost all sea-related activities./.