DFA: Foreign ministers’ remarks underscore ‘firm adherence to int’l law’

Department of Foreign Affairs building (From the official DFA Facebook page.)

MANILA, Philippines — The statement by the Quad foreign ministers regarding the situation in the South China Sea “underscores the need for the firm adherence to international law,” the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Thursday.

The DFA made the statement as it welcomed the remarks of the foreign ministers of United States, Japan, India and Australia, who said that they remain seriously concerned about the “dangerous and provocative actions” occurring in the East and South China Sea.

These actions included the interference with offshore resource development, the repeated obstruction of the freedoms of navigation and overflight, and use of water cannons as well as ramming or blocking actions by militia vessels.

The Quad foreign ministers, however, did not name any country as an aggressor.

READ: US, India, Japan, Australia denounce coercive actions in East, South China Seas

Still, the DFA said, “By highlighting the continuing dangerous and provocative actions, and the use of force and coercion in the South China Sea, the Quad Foreign Ministers have kept focus on the incidents that the Philippines has regularly contended with in the West Philippine Sea.”

The agency added that the statement of the four top diplomats “underscores the need for the firm adherence to international law, particularly the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos).”

`Legal framework’

The Unclos, according to the DFA, “remains as the legal framework within which all activities in the ocean and seas must be carried out.”

“We highly appreciate the Quad Foreign Ministers’ unequivocal support for the final and valid 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Award, further cementing its status as an unassailable part of the corpus of international law,” the agency added.

The DFA said the 2016 arbitral ruling, which held that the Philippines has exclusive sovereign rights over the West Philippine Sea, “deserves full compliance in furtherance of the peaceful settlement of disputes.”

With the looming anniversary of the arbitral ruling next week, July 12, US Ambassador MaryKay Carlson said she will be delivering a message as she expressed her support to the international rule of law.

“We continue to be ardent supporters of the Philippines with regard to promoting freedom of navigation and rule of law and international law of the sea. So, absolutely we’re here to support the Philippines on the remarkable nine-year anniversary of this very important ruling,” she said during an ambush interview at the US Embassy.

The DFA also welcomed the Quad’s commitment to building “capacities across the Indo-Pacific region, especially on maritime and transnational security, economic prosperity and security, critical and emerging technology, and support for humanitarian assistance and emergency response.”

The agency said the Philippines will “continue to uphold the rules-based order governed by international law,” such as Unclos. /mr