Vietnam re-affirmed the pursuit of renewal cause and a foreign policy of comprehensive international integration while attending the 66 th session of the UN General Assembly and other activities.

Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh, who led a Vietnamese delegation to the events from Sept. 23-28, made the statement in an interview granted to the New York-based Vietnam News Agency correspondent.

The minister said he delivered a speech at the General Debate of the UN General Assembly and attended a series of meetings on security, nuclear safety and non-communicable diseases and desertification prevention, as well as G77 and Francophone Ministerial Meetings, the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-building Measures in Asia (CICA) and the G3 meeting on global governance.

The Vietnamese delegation joined the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting to prepare for the upcoming ASEAN Summit, the East Asia Summit (EAS), and ASEAN meetings with partners.

The Vietnamese delegates were invited to present Vietnam ’s experience in realising the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) at meetings hosted by several donor countries.

On the sidelines of the session, Minister Minh met UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and leaders of the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

He also had separate meetings with his counterparts from 14 countries, including China, Laos, Thailand, Argentina, Cuba, Canada, Costa Rica, the US, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Russia, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.

At the meetings with UN leaders, Vietnam suggested the UN uphold its central role in maintaining international peace and security, preventing conflicts, peacefully settling international disputes, and reforming international economic, financial and commercial institutions.

At the meeting between ASEAN Foreign Ministers and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the Vietnamese delegation presented experience in realising the MDGs in ASEAN countries and put forth recommendations to further promote UN-ASEAN cooperation in this field.

During the bilateral meetings, the Vietnamese delegation discussed specific measures to boost relations in all fields and strengthen cooperation in the UN and multilateral forums./.