Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnamese DeputyPrime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh has sent a message to theUnited Nations General Assembly’s High-level Meeting to commemorate the International Day for theTotal Elimination of Nuclear Weapons.
Thefollowing is the full message:
Mr.President,
Seventyfive years ago, the world saw the end of the Second World War, but not beforewitnessing the devastations caused by atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Inefforts to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war and the threatto the survival of mankind, to foster friendly relations and peacefulcoexistence between all states, and to save the finite resources for social andeconomic development, the First Special Session of the UN General Assembly onDisarmament placed the highest priority on nuclear disarmament and theprevention of nuclear war.
Sincethen, the world has made significant strides. A system of multilateral andbilateral frameworks for nuclear disarmament, non-proliferation, and armscontrol, has been built. The global nuclear stockpiles have been reduced bythree quarters since the peak of the Cold War. A moratorium on nuclear testshave been implemented by most nuclear weapons states. 5 nuclear weapon-freezones covering over 100 states have been created, including the South East AsiaNuclear Weapon-Free Zone established by ASEAN in 1995.
Yet,the prospect of total elimination of nuclear weapons remains elusive. Thecurrent nuclear stockpile possesses enough power to end the world today, whilethe risks of spreading nuclear weapons to irresponsible non-state actorsremain. Growing tensions among nuclear weapons states is putting the globalmachinery under extreme pressure.
Vietnam supports all efforts towards nucleardisarmament and non-proliferation, and has become member to all internationaltreaties to this endeavor, including the NPT, the CTBT and most recently, theTreaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
Wecall upon the nuclear weapons states to step up in their commitment to theobligation to general disarmament under Article VI of the NPT. Trust in themultilateral disarmament architecture must be re-established. Regionalarchitectures need to play a more expansive role in establishing andimplementing nuclear weapon-free zones in all areas.
As theASEAN Chair in 2020, Vietnam remains committed to preserving the Southeast Asia NuclearWeapon-Free Zone, and will continue to engage with all parties to intensifyefforts to resolve outstanding issues in the implementation of the Treaty onthe Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone. Meanwhile, the rights of states touse of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes must be respected.
Onthis International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, we mustall reaffirm the legal and moral duty to achieve the goal of a nuclearweapon-free world. Let us unite in realizing this promise for a future ofpeace, security and prosperity.
Ithank you./.
Thefollowing is the full message:
Mr.President,
Seventyfive years ago, the world saw the end of the Second World War, but not beforewitnessing the devastations caused by atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Inefforts to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war and the threatto the survival of mankind, to foster friendly relations and peacefulcoexistence between all states, and to save the finite resources for social andeconomic development, the First Special Session of the UN General Assembly onDisarmament placed the highest priority on nuclear disarmament and theprevention of nuclear war.
Sincethen, the world has made significant strides. A system of multilateral andbilateral frameworks for nuclear disarmament, non-proliferation, and armscontrol, has been built. The global nuclear stockpiles have been reduced bythree quarters since the peak of the Cold War. A moratorium on nuclear testshave been implemented by most nuclear weapons states. 5 nuclear weapon-freezones covering over 100 states have been created, including the South East AsiaNuclear Weapon-Free Zone established by ASEAN in 1995.
Yet,the prospect of total elimination of nuclear weapons remains elusive. Thecurrent nuclear stockpile possesses enough power to end the world today, whilethe risks of spreading nuclear weapons to irresponsible non-state actorsremain. Growing tensions among nuclear weapons states is putting the globalmachinery under extreme pressure.
Vietnam supports all efforts towards nucleardisarmament and non-proliferation, and has become member to all internationaltreaties to this endeavor, including the NPT, the CTBT and most recently, theTreaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
Wecall upon the nuclear weapons states to step up in their commitment to theobligation to general disarmament under Article VI of the NPT. Trust in themultilateral disarmament architecture must be re-established. Regionalarchitectures need to play a more expansive role in establishing andimplementing nuclear weapon-free zones in all areas.
As theASEAN Chair in 2020, Vietnam remains committed to preserving the Southeast Asia NuclearWeapon-Free Zone, and will continue to engage with all parties to intensifyefforts to resolve outstanding issues in the implementation of the Treaty onthe Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone. Meanwhile, the rights of states touse of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes must be respected.
Onthis International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, we mustall reaffirm the legal and moral duty to achieve the goal of a nuclearweapon-free world. Let us unite in realizing this promise for a future ofpeace, security and prosperity.
Ithank you./.
VNA
