Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh has affirmed Vietnam’s consistent policy of supporting and promoting general and complete disarmament, with top priority given to nuclear disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation.

The FM made the statement while co-chairing the Conference on Facilitating the Entry into Force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) in New York on September 23.

“Vietnam has been trying its best to contribute to international efforts towards such noble goal and has acceded to all major related international treaties”, Minh said. “It is our hope that the CTBT, once brought into force, would significantly strengthen our existing mechanisms in our striving for a nuclear-free world.”

The Vietnamese diplomat said that Vietnam was among the first to sign the CTBT in 1996 and in 2006, and the country leaders have made continued efforts to prepare for the implementation of CTBT upon its entry into force.

“Together with ASEAN fellow countries, Viet Nam is working hard to promote the Treaty on Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapons Free Zone”, he added. He also took this opportunity to call on states, especially nuclear weapons states, to sign and ratify the protocol annexed to the Treaty.

On the sidelines of the 66 th meeting of the United Nations General Assembly, Minh met with his counterparts from Cuba, Argentina, Costa Rica, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria and Kyrgyzstan.

FM Minh and his Costa Rican counterpart Enrique Castillo also signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation between the two foreign ministries.

At a meeting with Executive Director of UNICEF Carol Bellamy, Minh spoke highly of the support of UN organisations, including UNICEF in Vietnam, over the past time, saying that he hoped the two sides would continue strong cooperation to implement the Joint Cooperation Programme for the 2012 – 2016 period./.