悲哀的是，该地区尖锐的地缘政治对峙横亘其中，而这一对峙产生的原因乃是缺乏预防、遏制和解决领土纠纷的机构框架。
Sadly, the region’s bitter geopolitical rivalries stand in the way, owing to the absence of an institutional framework to prevent, mitigate, and settle territorial disputes.