Vietnam highlights right to use nuclear energy, outer space for peaceful purposes

Participants at the session (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi – Minister Counselor Le Thi Minh Thoa, Deputy Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the United Nations (UN), has emphasised the need to support all the three pillars of the nuclear issue, namely disarmament, non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, and the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.

Addressing the UN Disarmament Commission (UNDC)’s annual session on the nuclear weapons and outer space opened on April 4 in New York, Thoa called on countries to fully implement the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), and soon sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).

She stated that it is necessary to further uphold the principles of disarmament that were agreed upon at the UN General Assembly’s first special session on disarmament - an important foundation for the goal of complete and thorough disarmament.

As a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)’s Board of Governors, Vietnam is actively promoting the application of nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, and ensuring nuclear safety and security, Thoa said.

Vietnam will co-host a workshop of the ASEAN Regional Forum on this field in Hanoi in late April, she added.

Regarding the use of the outer space, Thoa stressed that access to the outer space is an inalienable right of all countries in the world, regardless of their development level. The exploration and use of the outer space must serve peaceful purposes and the benefit of humanity, in accordance with basic principles of international law and the UN Charter.

Speaking at the session, which will last until April 21, UN Under-Secretary-General of Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu voiced concern over the increasing nuclear risks that have not been seen since the Cold War, as well as the growing serious challenges to the safety and security of activities beyond the outer space.

She called for an easing in escalating tensions and the promotion of dialogue, and urged countries to actively discuss and provide specific recommendations and solutions to these issues.

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