Paris Peace Accords: Looking back at past to treasure peace

A look back at the Paris Agreement on Ending the War and Restoring in Vietnam (Paris Peace Accords) on the 50th anniversary of its signing reminds us to treasure peace at present, according to Motoyoshi Ryokichi, former General Secretary of the Japan-Vietnam Friendship Association.

A document on the anti-war movement in Japan's Kanagawa prefecture. ( Photo:VNA)

Talking to the Vietnam News Agency, he recalled that following the signing of the agreement on January 27, 1973, peace-loving people in Japan and other countries worldwide expressed their optimism that peace will soon be restored in the Southeast Asian nation.

The accord helped to consolidate peace-loving people’s confidence, while serving as a source of encouragement for oppressed nations to stand up, fighting for national independence, he said.

Motoyoshi, who participated in activities launched in Japan’s Kanagawa prefecture to oppose the war in Vietnam at that time, said young generations should serve as a bridge between the past and the future, actively contributing to the struggle for peace, national independence, democracy and social progress in the world.

Maru Toshikazu, a member of Kanagawa’s peace committee, noted that the agreement was associated with Vietnam’s victory in the struggle against the US at that time, adding that the Vietnamese people always received the great support from peace-loving people across the world, including those from Japan.

He held that the core element of the Paris Agreement was that the Vietnamese people regained the right to self-determination over their nation's destiny, thereby spreading the spirit around the world.

From this perspective, it can be said that the victory of the Vietnamese people has gone down in the world’s history, he affirmed./.

VNA