Brussels (VNA) – Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Minh Vu led a Vietnamese delegation to the celebration of the 125th anniversary of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) held in The Hague on June 13.

As part of the celebrations, the PCA gathered for the third-ever Congress of the Members of the Court the same day, which was the first held in the recent 25 years.

Addressing the event, Vu congratulated the PCA and praised the crucial role and contributions by the court during its 125 years of operation to the settlement of disputes through peaceful measures.

The PCA's contributions have helped shape international law, supporting the development of principles and norms for interactions among nations. By creating a mechanism for states to solve disputes peacefully, the PCA has evolved into a modern international dispute resolution institution, the Vietnamese representative stated.

The official underlined that since Vietnam became a PCA member in 2012, the country’s relationship with the court has seen great progress, with a notable milestone being the PCA’s launching of a representative office in Hanoi on November 24, 2022.

Vu said that the Vietnamese Government attaches great importance to its partnership with the PCA, considering this an important component in the efforts to build a rule-of-law state with a strong judicial system and a contingent of highly qualified legal experts providing professional and standard legal services, thus promoting its deep and extensive international integration.

He affirmed that Vietnam aims to become an address for partners to settle regional and international disputes through peaceful means, conciliation and arbitration. Vietnam's support and assistance ensure that the PCA representative office in Hanoi operates effectively and smoothly, and demonstrate Vietnam's strong commitment to promoting multilateralism, the United Nations Charter and other principles of international law, Vu said.

The same day, he chaired a discussion on dispute solution in Asia-Pacific and the role of the PCA, aiming to review the importance of peaceful dispute solution mechanisms in the region, clarifying the role and contribution by the PCA in promoting dispute solution, identifying challenges, and proposing strategies to increase the effectiveness of PCA operations in the region.

With a tradition of respecting and complying with international law, the region plays an important role with the mechanism to solve disputes by peaceful means, stated Vu, adding that the PCA representative office in Hanoi and its very successful activities have shown the great potential of the peaceful dispute solution mechanism in the region.

Also on June 13, Vu had meetings with PCA Secretary General Marcin Czepelak and The Hague Academy of International Law Secretary-General Jean-Marc Thouvenin, during which the Vietnamese official introduced Vietnam’s candidate for the position of Judge of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea for the 2026-2035 tenure.

At the meetings, participants reviewed outcomes of the activities implemented in 2023, and discussed their cooperation plan in the future.

The PCA was established under the 1899 Hague Convention for the Pacific Settlement of International Disputes and the 1907 Hague Convention for the Pacific Settlement of International Disputes. The main mission of the PCA is to create favourable conditions for solving international disputes among countries and between countries and foreign legal entities in many fields.

♚ The Hague Academy of International Law is a prestigious education, training and research institution in the Netherlands, which was established in 1923, headquartered at the Peace Palace, The Hague. The academy is a centre for teaching and research on both public law and international justice. In 2023, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam and the academy signed a Memorandum of Understanding to promote the academy's support for Vietnam through training programmes for legal experts specialised in international public law and justice, as well as strengthening cooperation between the two sides at multilateral forums./.