Addressing the UN Disarmament Commission (UNDC)’s annual session on the nuclearweapons and outer space opened on April 4 in New York, Thoa called on countriesto fully implement the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT),and soon sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons(TPNW).
She stated that it is necessary to further uphold the principles of disarmamentthat were agreed upon at the UN General Assembly’s first special session on disarmament - an important foundation for the goal of complete and thoroughdisarmament.
As a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)’s Board of Governors, Vietnam is actively promoting the application of nucleartechnology for peaceful purposes, non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, andensuring nuclear safety and security, Thoa said.
Vietnam will co-host a workshop of the ASEAN Regional Forum on this field inHanoi in late April, she added.
Regarding the use of the outer space, Thoa stressedthat access to the outer space isan inalienable right of allcountries in the world, regardless of their development level. The explorationand use of the outer space must serve peaceful purposes and the benefit of humanity,in accordance with basic principles of international law and the UN Charter.
Speakingat the session, which will last until April 21, UN Under-Secretary-General of DisarmamentAffairs Izumi Nakamitsu voiced concern over the increasing nuclear risks that have not been seen since the Cold War, as well as the growing serious challenges to the safety and security ofactivities beyond the outer space.
She called for an easing in escalatingtensions and the promotion of dialogue, and urged countries to activelydiscuss and provide specific recommendations and solutions to these issues./.