Vietnamese Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN. (Photo: VNA)New York (VNA) – ASEAN supports internationalefforts in non-proliferation and disarmament of weapons of mass destruction andstrictly adheres to related UN Security Council (UNSC)’s resolutions to achievea world free of nuclear weapons, Vietnamese Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy said onOctober 9.
He made the statement on the behalf of ASEAN at an annual debate of the UN General Assembly’s Disarmament and International SecurityCommittee (First Committee) which also saw the presence of UN General AssemblyPresident Volkan Bozkir and UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representativefor Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu.
Quy, who is also Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN, voiced ASEAN’s concerns over the existence of nuclearweapons and the consequences of using them, saying ASEAN backs the completeelimination of nuclear weapons and the full implementation of theNon-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
ASEAN called on all nations to join and ratify the Treaty onthe Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-BanTreaty (CTBT) to enable the deals to enter into force soon, he continued.
The Vietnamese ambassador also emphasised the importance ofcontinued dialogues and negotiations to resolving the Korean Peninsula nuclearissues, adding ASEAN stands ready to assist related parties in advancing theprocess.
He reiterated ASEAN’s supports for efforts to manage andcontrol conventional and new weapons and the peaceful use of the outer space and that ASEANis committed to maintain a nuclear-weapon-free Southeast Asia.
The diplomat highlighted cooperation between ASEAN and theInternational Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in promoting peaceful uses of nuclearenergy as well as works of the ASEAN Regional Mine Action Centre (ARMAC) toaddress post-war bomb and mine aftermaths./,
VNA
