Vietnam officially signs the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons

On September 22, at the United Nations Headquarters, authorized by President Tran Dai Quang, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh signed the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh delivers a speech at the High-Level Debate of the 72nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly. (Source: AFP/ VNA)

On September 22, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh led the Vietnamese delegation to attend the High-level Debate of the 72nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City, USA.

This year's Discussion Session, themed "Focusing on People: Striving for Peace and a Good Life for All on a Sustainable Planet", attracted the participation of most of the heads of state and government of 193 United Nations member states.

Speaking at the Conference, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh shared Vietnam's views on current prominent issues facing the world and the United Nations, and Vietnam's important contributions to resolving these issues.

The Deputy Prime Minister highlighted the significance of Vietnam's official admission to the United Nations on September 20, 1977, stressing that this was an important milestone for an independent and unified Vietnam to enter integration and development, becoming an active and responsible member of the international community, contributing to the noble goals of the United Nations: peace, security and development.

Regarding the international situation, the Deputy Prime Minister said that there are rapid and profound changes in the world; the Fourth Industrial Revolution, especially in digital technology, is bringing unprecedented development opportunities to all countries.

At the same time, the Deputy Prime Minister assessed that the world is in a period of great volatility, uncertainty and fragility with unprecedented challenges to security and development, especially instability, risk of conflict, slow and unsustainable economic growth, climate change and natural disasters, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, migration-humanitarian crisis, inequality, etc.

Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh stated that maintaining peace is always a top priority, requiring countries to strengthen cooperation, jointly promote multilateralism, and the United Nations must be the center for coordinating and connecting common efforts to respond to global challenges, building an increasingly comprehensive system of rules and standards with a mechanism to ensure objectivity, fairness and equality.

The Deputy Prime Minister suggested that countries put people's interests at the center of all policies and actions to successfully implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and ensure a good life for all people; he stressed that developing countries need to be guaranteed more favorable conditions and more resources to implement the Sustainable Development Goals.

Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh emphasized that international law is an important foundation for order and stability in international relations, and peace needs to be guaranteed by law; he called for increased actions in accordance with international law and the United Nations Charter to prevent and peacefully resolve conflicts and disputes.

Regarding the East Sea, the Deputy Prime Minister called on all relevant parties 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, fully respect diplomatic and legal processes on the basis of international law, implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), and soon reach an effective and legally binding Code of Conduct (COC).

Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh also highlighted Vietnam's achievements and contributions in the process of proactively and actively integrating into the international community, especially in its role as host of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) 2017, member of the Human Rights Council for the 2014-2016 term, the Economic and Social Council for the 2016-2018 term and currently running for a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the 2020-2021 term, actively implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, and participating in United Nations peacekeeping activities.

On the same day, at the United Nations Headquarters, authorized by President Tran Dai Quang, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh signed the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

This treaty was just completed in July 2017 with provisions prohibiting member countries from developing, testing, producing, manufacturing, stockpiling, using or threatening to use nuclear weapons.

According to the provisions of the Treaty, when participating in this Treaty, countries that test or use nuclear weapons will have the responsibility to support affected countries to overcome the consequences.

To date, the Treaty has been signed by 52 countries and will come into effect after being ratified by 50 countries. The early signing of the Treaty clearly demonstrates Vietnam's consistent policy for peace and support for nuclear disarmament worldwide.

On the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh met with the Foreign Ministers of Hungary, Saudi Arabia and World Economic Forum Managing Director Philipp Rosler.

At the above meetings, the Deputy Prime Minister welcomed the upcoming visits to Vietnam by leaders of countries and international organizations; the partners all expressed their interest in promoting relations with Vietnam, considering Vietnam an important partner in the region.

On the same day, Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh met with a number of large US businesses and corporations, such as Boeing, ExxonMobil, Uber, AES, MetLife, Pfizer...

The Deputy Prime Minister informed about Vietnam's economic situation and international integration, positive developments in Vietnam-US relations, and preparations for the APEC Summit Week in Da Nang next November.

US businesses appreciate the Vietnamese Government's determination to comprehensively reform the economy, reform the business environment, and create transparent legal systems, creating favorable conditions for foreign businesses, including the US, to continue promoting trade and investment in Vietnam.

US businesses also highly appreciated Vietnam's careful preparations for the APEC Summit Week and related events next November./.

According to VNA/VIETNAM+