Mr. Chair,
Viet Nam aligns itself with the statements delivered by Indonesia on behalf of the Non-aligned Movement and the Philippines on behalf of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) respectively.
Mr. Chair,
1. Global expectations for progress in the field of disarmament have not achieved substantial results.
We still face difficulties in reaching consensus on the core issues of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation negotiating agenda.
Global military spending hits a new record high, rising by 3,7% percent last year.
We are more worried when the danger of the weapons of mass destruction are illegally falling into the hands of terrorists.
To deal with these challenges, the international community must redouble efforts to promote the cause of general and complete disarmament.
Mr. Chair,
2. Having undergone decades of wars with enormous loss and suffering, it is our principled policy to support international efforts towards general and complete disarmament.
Top priority should continue to be given to nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation.
It is crucial to advance actions on all three pillars of the Treaty on the Non-proliferation of nuclear weapons (NPT) namely, nuclear non-proliferation, disarmament and peaceful use of nuclear energy in a balanced manner to safeguard the world from the potential devastation of nuclear weapons.
We highly appreciated the efforts of Member States in convening meetings of the working group and the Preparatory Committee in the last few months with a view to strengthening the NPT review process.
3. The NPT should be complemented by other crucial legally-binding instruments including the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) and the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).
In this connection, Viet Nam calls for the early entry into force of the CTBT which needs remaining States listed in the Annex 2 thereof to sign and ratify.
We are also looking forward to the successful convening of the second meeting of States Parties to TPNW to be held this December.
4. Viet Nam firmly believes that the nuclear weapons free zones and negative security assurances represent important contributions to the goal of achieving nuclear disarmament and general and complete disarmament.
In this regard, Viet Nam and other ASEAN members again reaffirm our commitment to preserve the Southeast Asian region as a Nuclear Weapon Free Zone and free of all other weapons of mass destruction.
We welcome any individual Nuclear Weapon State willing to sign and ratify the Protocol to the SEANWFZ Treaty without reservations.
5. Apart from prioritizing disarmament and arms control related to weapons of mass destruction, the issues on conventional weapons has been addressed with great attention and balance.
We welcome the conclusion of the Open-ended Working Group on Conventional Ammunitions, and take note of the adoption of its outcome document containing a set of political commitments as a new voluntary global framework that will address existing gaps in through-life ammunition management.
6. My delegation also welcomes the recent adoption by consensus of Member States of the recommendations of UNDC to promote the practical implementation of transparency and confidence-building measures in outer space activities with the goal of preventing an arms race in outer space.
We support the peaceful uses of outer space and emphasize that the UN Charter and international law should govern all activities in the exploration and use of outer space.
In these processes, the right of every state and people to freely access such spaces must be guaranteed, taking into account the views of all member states and the corresponding complexity of these areas.
Mr. Chair,
7. Weapons do not cause war, but arms race and intransparency bring about mistrust and tension among countries.
To rebuild trust and ease tension effectively, each country, big or small should uphold fundamental principles of international law and the United Nations Charter, including respect for national sovereignty and territorial integrity, peaceful settlement of disputes and non -use or threat of use of force.
In multilateral negotiations on disarmament, we should also emphasize the importance of political will, confidence-building and transparency in addressing international disarmament and security issues.
In this spirit, Viet Nam has consistently supported all initiatives and efforts aimed at consolidating the international instruments of disarmament and arms control as well as non-proliferation regimes thus contributing to international and regional peace and security.
We have acceded to all major multilateral treaties on prohibiting weapons of mass destruction and have been an active member of many United Nations disarmament bodies.
Mr. Chair,
The future we want depends on the efforts we are making today.
With this in mind, we must work together, under the spirit of multilateralism, in building a safe and peaceful world for humanity.
Viet Nam stands ready to engage constructively in the work of the first Committee under your leadership, Mr. Chair, to promote international peace, security and development.
I thank you./.