Manila, Sept. 26 -- The Philippines co-chaired a high-level ministerial meeting on maritime security and safety on the sidelines of the 80th United Nations General Assembly in New York City, rallying nations to uphold international law and cooperation at sea.

The Foreign Ministerial Meeting on "Reinforcing Cooperation to Achieve a Secure and Stable Maritime Domain," held on Sept. 24, was attended by at least 40 countries.

In her remarks, Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro urged the participating states to sustain dialogue and "call out actions that undermine maritime safety and security, and violate international law," particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

"The oceans that connect our nati...