International solidarity activists met in the central Quang Tri province on Monday to discuss the role of public solidarity in boosting peace, security and sustainable development.

Delegates at the workshop recalled the American war during their discussion. An old anti-war poster displayed at the workshop.

Delegates from different countries gathered for a three-day workshop to discuss the topic. The workshop is being held by Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung and the Viet Nam Peace and Development Foundation from May 20-22.

In a keynote message, former State President Nguyen Thi Binh said in today’s times, peace did not merely mean the absence of war but also included development.

Bình, who is also the chairwoman of the Viet Nam Peace and Development Foundation, underlined that people across the world needed peace for development, liberty and happy life.

She also recalled peace and solidarity movements’ significance in the fight for liberty, independence and development of Viet Nam.

However, as wars continue in many regions of the world, participants at the workshop called for stronger cooperation among organisations working for peace.

“It is hard to have solidarity in the context of extreme nationalism and pragmatism seen around the world,” said Pham Van Chuong, deputy chairman of the Viet Nam Peace and Development Foundation.

He urged activists the world over to work harder for peace.

According to Iraklis Tsavavdaridis, executive secretary of the World Peace Council, growing imperialist aggressiveness in the world was posing a new threat to peace and humanity.

“Together with tensions and regional conflicts, imperialist aggressions are making people suffer, particularly the cases of Palestine, Western Sahara or Cyprus,” he said.

He added that the council expressed its solidarity to the people in those areas as well as those in Venezuela, Korea and Syria.

Liliane Danso Dahmen, director of Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung’s South East Asia office, said people in the world needed to fight and stand together for peace and to support struggles for independence and social justice.

“International solidarity for peace is the foundation to ultimately build an equal and civilised world for all,” she said.

Earlier on May 22, the international delegates visited National Highway 9 Cemetery to pay tribute to Vietnamese martyrs. — VNS