ASEAN pledges efforts to promote nuclear-free Southeast Asia: Ambassador

Member nations of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) pledge efforts to promote a nuclear-free Southeast Asia, Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN, said at a recent meeting of the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) of the United Nations General Assembly on October 14 in New York.

Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN speaks at a debate of the UN General Assembly

Speaking on behalf of the association, Giang said ASEAN has recently adopted an action programme for 2023-2027 to achieve this goal, affirming that the group supports international efforts towards a world free of nuclear weapons.

ASEAN attaches importance to multilateralism in disarmament and non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, including the central role of the Treaty on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) in the global mechanism for promoting disarmament, non-proliferation and use of nuclear weapons for peaceful purposes, he stressed.

The bloc calls on countries to continue to sign and ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), he said.

The Vietnamese diplomat said ASEAN countries uphold the importance of nuclear weapon-free zones and support their contributions to the non-proliferation and disarmament mechanism, stressing that states possessing nuclear weapons should vow not to threaten and use nuclear weapons against countries located in these zones.

He also highlighted ASEAN's cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, including specific cooperation activities in recent times.

The ambassador emphasised ASEAN's commitment to the First Committee’s operations to completely eliminate this type of weapon.

The First Committee is one of the six main committees of the UN General Assembly whose function is to review and discuss disarmament, threats and challenges to international peace and security; and propose appropriate solutions. The committee's meeting opened on October 10 and is expected to last until early November./.

VNA