VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister Le Luong Minh has called on members of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) to strengthen solidarity on the basis of the Bandung Principles, the United Nations Charter, and international law.

Speaking at the NAM’s Ministerial Meeting in Sharm El Sheikh City, Egypt, from May 7-10, Deputy FM Minh stressed this will be a firm foundation for increasing the role of the movement in settling important international issues such as  disarmament, combating terrorism, and dealing with climate change and epidemics, as well as fulfilling the UN Millennium Development Goals.

Minh said the complicated international situation is posing great challenges in security, politics, economics, and international relations for NAM members. He expressed his concern over growing violence in some countries, which he said is partly attributed to outside intervention, as well as the dark side of globalization that confronts developing countries.

The diplomat reaffirmed Vietnam’s policy of supporting the struggle of Palestinian people for building a sovereign state and expressed sympathy for the difficulties Cuban people have experienced as a result of the US embargo.

He said he believes Syrian people will be able to overcome the difficulties to maintain peace, stability, and development in the region and the world as a whole.

As an active and responsible member of the movement, Vietnam pledges to promote the implementation of the UN Charter principle and international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and the 1992 ASEAN Declaration on the East Sea, with the aim of seeking peaceful negotiations for sovereignty disputes in the East Sea, he said.

Deputy FM Minh said Vietnam hails ASEAN and China’s approval of the guideline for implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) in July, 2011 and emphasized that both sides’ efforts to implement the DOC is an important step forward formulating a Code of Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (COC), which will create favourable conditions for maintaining peace and stability in the region.

Vietnam and other ASEAN countries welcome the positive contribution of bilateral and multilateral consultancy mechanisms between relevant parties at the intergovernmental level, including the ASEAN-China dialogue, the ASEAN Regional Forum, and informal seminars on the settlement of the East Sea crisis.

VietNamNet/VOV