Ambassador Nguyen Phuong Tra, Deputy Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the United Nations (UN), re-affirmed Vietnam's consistent stance on supporting all efforts toward nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation at the annual meeting of the UN Disarmament Commission (UNDC) opened in New York on April 5.
The Vietnamese diplomat further said that Vietnam had fulfilled its notification obligation under Article 2 of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) after the treaty officially came into force.
She also affirmed the right of the countries to research, develop and use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.
Regarding the use of the outer space, the ambassador welcomed the adoption of a resolution by the UN General Assembly to establish an open-ended working group on outer space security, thereby providing recommendations on the norms, rules and principles of responsible behaviours of countries in the use of the outer space.
Meanwhile, Under-Secretary-General and High-Representative for Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu emphasised the threat posed by nuclear weapons from the humanitarian and environmental perspective, saying that nothing could justify the use of weapons.
Countries should discuss the development of standards in this field in the context of more and more countries participating in the use of the outer space, Izumi said.
The UNDC’s meeting takes place every year with the participation of representatives from all UN member states. This year’s meeting is scheduled to last until April 22./.
