Viet Nam pursues a consistent policy of using nuclear power only for peaceful purposes, stated Ambassador Duong Chi Dung, head of Viet Nam's Permanent Mission to the UN, the WTO and other international organisations in Geneva.

Ambassador Duong Chi Dung, head of Viet Nam's Permanent Mission to the UN, the WTO and other international organisations in Geneva (Photo: VNA)

The ambassador made the remark at the 1 May meeting of the second session of the Preparatory Committee for the 2020 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) from 23 April to 4 May, at the UN Office in Geneva.

Dung said following Article IV of the NPT on peaceful uses of nuclear power, Vietnam issued the Strategy on Atomic Energy in 2006 and the Atomic Energy Law in 2008.

Vietnam also signed safeguard agreements and the Additional Protocol (AP) with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and took part in most of the IAEA’s international commitments on nuclear power security and safety, the ambassador noted.

Dung urged other countries to engage in international commitments on nuclear power security and safety, and to make prompt notice of and support for nuclear incidents. He considered such engagement a measure to ensure peaceful, sustainable and responsible uses of nuclear power.

Praising the key role of the IAEA, the diplomat proposed that its inspection and assessment be based on objectivity, equality, and technical creditability in line with the IAEA’s safeguard agreements and the AP.

He thanked the IAEA and other partners for their support for Vietnam in this regard.

Vietnam will continue collaboration with the IAEA as a commitment to use nuclear power for sustainable peace and prosperity, Dung affirmed.

The NPT entered into force in 1970 and was extended indefinitely in 1995. It has 191 member countries, with Viet Nam joining in June 1982.

The NPT review conference is held every five years. More than 400 delegates from 118 countries and international organisations are taking part in the second session of the Preparatory Committee for the 2020 Review Conference.

(Source: VNA)