Inhis message sent to the United Nations General Assembly’s High-level Meeting onOctober 2 (New York time) to commemorate the International Day for the TotalElimination of Nuclear Weapons (September 26), Minh highlighted the target of anuclear weapon-free world since the world witnessed the devastations caused byatomic bombs in Japan’s Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Hesaid it is a legal and moral duty of the international community to savesucceeding generations from the scourge of war and the threat to the survivalof mankind, to foster friendly relations and peaceful coexistence between allstates, and to save the finite resources for social and economic development.
TheDeputy PM stressed the need to continue with strides made by the world over thepast decades, including upholding the role of multilateral and bilateralframeworks for nuclear disarmament, non-proliferation, and arms control with theglobal nuclear stockpiles reducing by three quarters since the peak of the ColdWar.
Minh called on the nuclear weapons states to step up intheir commitment to the obligation to general disarmament under Article VI ofthe NPT.
Trust in the multilateral disarmament architecture must bere-established, he said, adding that regional architectures need to play a moreexpansive role in establishing and implementing nuclear weapon-free zones inall areas.
Vietnam,as ASEAN Chair 2020, 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, he stressed.
TheDeputy PM added that the rights of states to use of nuclear energy for peacefulpurposes must be respected./.