There is only prosperity and development when there is peace and stability.

"Prosperity and sustainable development in Vietnam, Asia and the world can only be ensured if there is a peaceful and stable international environment," Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said at the expanded G-7 Summit.

This morning (May 27), Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc attended the first session of the expanded G-7 Summit.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc at the expanded G-7 Summit

The conference was held in Ise-Shima, Mie Prefecture, Japan with the participation of 7 developed industrial countries (Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Canada and Italy), the European Union and guests including Vietnam, Indonesia, Laos, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Papua New Guinea and a number of international organizations such as the United Nations, WB, IMF, OECD, ADB.

The expanded G-7 Summit includes two sessions, focusing on discussions on high-quality infrastructure, regional security, promoting women's rights, health, enhancing cooperation in implementing the 2030 Development Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and cooperation with Africa.

“We welcome the priority topics on the agenda of the Conference. These are truly important and urgent issues for peace, stability and sustainable development of the Asia-Pacific region in particular and the world in general,” Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc began his speech.

The Prime Minister said that sustainable development based on effective regional and international integration is the strategic direction of Vietnam's development, in which infrastructure is one of the three breakthroughs in the socio-economic development plan in the coming time. Vietnam highly appreciates Japan's initiative on high-quality infrastructure partnership in Asia and the Mekong-Japan Connectivity Initiative; and welcomes the support of other G-7 countries, including the US and the Friends of the Lower Mekong (FLM) Group for the sustainable development of the Mekong basin with the new initiative on the Sustainable Infrastructure Program (SIP).

Vietnam reaffirmed its commitment to join hands to implement the historic agreement reached at COP-21 in Paris recently. Climate change is happening at a very rapid pace, the Prime Minister emphasized.

The Prime Minister hopes that G-7 countries and multilateral organizations will continue to step up support for Vietnam and Mekong countries to strengthen cooperation in managing and protecting water resources, improving capacity to adapt to climate change and combat drought and saltwater intrusion, especially in the Mekong Delta - the lower Mekong River.

“We are deeply aware that Vietnam’s peace and development are closely linked to the peace and prosperity of the world. Contributing to solving common challenges in the region and the world is the responsibility and right of every country, regardless of its level of development,” said Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, welcoming Japan’s new initiatives in important areas such as ensuring peace, stability and development in the Middle East, healthcare, gender equality and enhancing the role of women, as well as Japan’s efforts to support Africa, including within the framework of the International Conference on African Development (TICAD).

The Prime Minister affirmed: Prosperity and sustainable development in Vietnam, Asia and the world can only be guaranteed if there is a peaceful and stable international environment. We are facing increasingly greater challenges to regional peace and security, first of all security, safety and freedom of navigation and aviation in the East Sea. Unilateral actions that are contrary to international law and regional agreements, such as large-scale artificial island construction, changing the status quo and increasing militarization, are seriously threatening peace and stability in the region. This situation requires relevant countries to exercise restraint, resolve disputes by peaceful means, in accordance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, comply with the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), strengthen confidence-building measures and preventive diplomacy, and soon move towards a Code of Conduct (COC).

Together with ASEAN countries, Vietnam welcomes the G-7 countries' strong voices in supporting efforts to ensure security, freedom of navigation and aviation, and the settlement of disputes by peaceful means, on the basis of respect for international law and regional agreements. It hopes that the G-7 countries and the international community will continue to make responsible contributions to strengthening the peaceful and stable environment in Asia-Pacific and the world.

According to Chinhphu.vn