ASEAN supports stronger collective efforts to achieve nuclear disarmament, halt the proliferation of nuclear weapons, and abolish all types of weapons of mass destruction.

Vietnam ’s Deputy Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh stated this when representing ASEAN at the UN conference to review the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Treaty (NPT) in New York on May 4.

Minh said that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) supports and encourages measures for complete nuclear disarmament by states that possess nuclear weapons.

In the context that the US and Russia, who have the two largest stockpiles of nuclear weapons in the world, agreed on major cuts in their arsenals, ASEAN calls on all concerned parties to strictly adhere to their obligations prescribed in the treaty.

The group also called on all states with or without nuclear weapons to step up efforts to halt the proliferation of radioactive substances and support the IAEA’s mission to safeguard safety, security and the science and technologies involved while carrying out nuclear checks and inspections, said Minh.

He confirmed that every ASEAN member countries has already signed the regional nuclear weapons free treaty and believed that the establishment of nuclear weapon free zones is important for promoting the non-proliferation and disarmament of nuclear weapons.

Regarding Vietnam ’s stance on the issue, Deputy Foreign Minister Minh reiterated that Vietnam has supported a ban on the use or the threat of using nuclear weapons and completely abolishing them.

Vietnam has signed up to every important multilateral treaty on banning weapons of mass destruction and has always fulfilled its obligations under these treaties, said Minh.

Vietnam is clearly aware of the benefits as well as need for safety and security when using nuclear energy for peaceful purposes and is ready to cooperate with others to organise an international conference on the issue, Minh added./.