Vietnam calls for efforts to end nuclear arms race

Ambassador Duong Chi Dung, head of Vietnam's permanent mission to the United Nations in Geneva, has affirmed Vietnam’s support for efforts to disarm nuclear weapons through regional and international multilateral mechanisms.

The ambassador made the statement when chairing a plenary session of the Conference on Disarmament (CD) in Geneva on July 29, one among a series of sessions chaired by Vietnam during its term as CD President (from June 24-28 and from July 29 to August 18).

He told participants that Vietnam is currently a member of all international treaties on nuclear weapon disarmament such as the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), and most recently the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).

Dung called for intensified international cooperation to carry out these treaties more effectively, contributing to putting an end to the nuclear arms race and completely disarming nuclear weapons.

Participants highly valued Vietnam’s organisation of a CD session on ending the nuclear arms race and disarming nuclear weapons, as well as its invitation of a representative of the CTBT Organisation (CTBTO) to the session.

They said that CTBT is one of the main pillars in disarmament and nuclear weapon non-proliferation efforts. They stressed the need to soon put the treaty into practice, considering it an important step toward a goal of a nuclear weapon-free world.

CTBTO Executive Secretary Lassina Zerbo stated that the treaty has been signed by 184 nations, of which 164 have been ratified it.