Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh sends a message to the UN General Assembly high-level meeting, October 2, 2020. (Photo: Pham Anh Tuan / baoquocte.vn)

Deputy Prime Minister  and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh on Friday delivered a speech at the UN General Assembly high-level meeting to commemorate and promote international day for the total elimination of nuclear weapons.

Mr. Minh said seventy five years ago, the world saw the end of the Second World War, but not before witnessing the devastations caused by atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Since then, the world has made significant strides. A system of multilateral and bilateral frameworks for nuclear disarmament, non-proliferation, and arms control, has been built. The global nuclear stockpiles have been reduced by three quarters since the peak of the Cold War.

According to the Deputy PM, Viet Nam supports all efforts towards nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, and has become member to all international treaties to this endeavor, including the NPT, the CTBT and most recently, the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. He said: “We call upon the nuclear weapons states to step up in their commitment to the obligation to general disarmament under Article VI of the NPT. Trust in the multilateral disarmament architecture must be re-established. Regional architectures need to play a more expansive role in establishing and implementing nuclear weapon-free zones in all areas. As the ASEAN Chair in 2020, Viet Nam remains committed to preserving the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone, and will continue to engage with all parties to intensify efforts to resolve outstanding issues in the implementation of the Treaty on the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone. Meanwhile, the rights of states to use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes must be respected.”

On this International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, Deputy PM Minh called on all countries to reaffirm the legal and moral duty to achieve the goal of a nuclear weapon-free world.