... The territorial dispute in the South China Sea is a reality... "Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesia has called on all sides involved in the South China Sea dispute to hold continuous and intensive communication in order to maintain stability in the region.
After officially opening the regional conference of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), here on Monday, Indonesia's Foreign Affairs Minister Marty Natalegawa stated that even though the conflict had escalated between Vietnam and China, but the effect of the crisis was felt throughout the region.
"All sides feel the escalated crisis and the uncertain situation. Hence, dialogue is not a choice, but a necessity. All sides have to work to ensure that the situation in the South China Sea becomes conducive again," Natalegawa stressed.
Natalegawa underlined that Indonesia had delivered an important message for all sides to communicate and show mutual restraint, as well as to respect each other as reflected in the Declaration on the Conduct of the Parties in the South China Sea (DOC).
On May 16, 2014, Indonesia through its Ministry of Foreign Affairs had submitted an official statement about the escalated crisis between Vietnam and China related to the South China Sea.
Indonesia is particularly concerned about the risk of crisis escalation and misjudgment of the dangerous maneuvers by the navies of China and Vietnam, which had resulted in injuries and material losses.
The crisis between the two countries had escalated last week after some demonstrations held by Vietnamese to protest China's maneuvers in the South China Sea had turned violent and resulted in riots, which led to deaths and caused injuries to several others. Material damages were also incurred during the riots.
"The territorial dispute in the South China Sea is a reality. Now, we have to act on how to ensure that the crisis will not cause instability and potential conflict among the countries," affirmed Natalegawa.
Reporter: Azi Fitriyanti
Editor: Ade P Marboen
Copyright © ANTARA 2014
