Multilateral cooperation has "special" place in VN’s foreign policy

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh said “multilateral cooperation has a special place in Viet Nam’s foreign policy.”

Minh made the above statement while addressing the General Debate of the 74^th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 28.

The process of reform, development, and international integration is closely associated with Viet Nam’s participation into global and regional multilateral institutions, he emphasized.

He added that the assistance of the UN and other international organizations helped Viet Nam rebuild our country after decades of war.

Minh went on to say that the United Nations and multilateral forums have provided Viet Nam with important political and legal platforms to expand our cooperation with nations of the world.

As an active and constructive partner in multilateral processes, Viet Nam is working with other ASEAN Member States to enhance ASEAN’s centrality in promoting peace, security and prosperity in Southeast Asia and the Asia-Pacific region.

In the United Nations, members of the Viet Nam People’s Army have joined the Organization’s peacekeeping operations while Vietnamese diplomats and experts have contributed substantively to the development of United Nations agendas and policies on sustainable development, oceans and seas, human rights, amongst others.

Viet Nam is strongly committed to the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda and Paris Agreement, and in particular is taking concrete steps to end single-use plastics by 2025, Minh affirmed.

He took the occasion to share his thoughts on how to revitalize multilateralism given today’s daunting challenges.

The Vietnamese leader stressed that the international community must all reaffirm the fundamental importance of international law and the UN Charter in international relations and multilateral cooperation.

International law is the foundation of equal relation among states and their actions must be in line with and guided by respect for international law.

Minh expressed his belief that respect for international law is the most effective measure to prevent conflicts and to seek sustainable solutions for disputes.

He voiced support for all efforts to settle disputes by peaceful means in accordance with the UN Charter and international law, including negotiation, conciliation and judicial settlement.

Minh urged relevant parties in the East Sea to respect international law, especially the United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea 1982 (UNCLOS), appropriately referred to as the “Constitution for the Oceans”.

He expressed his belief that linking the Indian and Pacific Oceans, the East Sea is strategically important to peace, security and prosperity in the Asia – Pacific region.

However, Viet Nam has on many occasions voiced its concerns over the recent complicated developments in the East Sea, including serious incidents that infringe upon Viet Nam’s sovereign rights and jurisdiction in our maritime zones as defined by UNCLOS, Minh said.  

Relevant States should exercise self-restraint and refrain from conducting unilateral acts which may complicate or escalate tensions at sea, and settle disputes by peaceful means in accordance with international law, including the UNCLOS, he underlined./.