Meeting of Commission for SEANWFZ Treaty held

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh at the event (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – The meeting of the Commission for the Treaty on the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ) was held online on September 9 following the opening ceremony and plenary session of the 53rd ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Hanoi.

Chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh, the event reviewed the implementation of the SEANWFZ and discussed ways to further promote the issue in the near future.

Reviewing the implementation of the Action Plan to enhance the treaty during the 2018-2022 period, the meeting took note of activities conducted by specialised agencies in the fields of ensuring nuclear security and safety, use of atomic energy for peaceful purpose, and improvement of capacity to deal with radiation incidents and disaster.

Participants spoke highly of enhanced cooperation between ASEAN and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and suggested ASEAN Secretariat actively work with IAEA to effectively realise cooperation agreement signed in September 2019.

Reiterating commitment to maintain the Southeast Asia free from nuclear and other mass destruction weapons, ASEAN and SEANWFZ member states agreed to continue discussing and tackling barriers so that countries with nuclear weapons could soon sign Protocol of the Treaty.

The meeting reached consensus on measures to uphold the SEANWFZ’s contributions to global efforts to non-proliferation and disarmament of nuclear weapons and other mass destruction weapons, including popularising the SEANWFZ at the UN’s meetings and forums./.