Addressing the 18th NAM Ministerial Meeting held in Baku, Azerbaijan, on April 5-6, Quy also emphasised the importance of solving disputes by peaceful means and restraining from using and threatening to use violence.

NAM should play a more active role in boosting the implementation of international commitments and agreements such as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, and the reform of the global economic and financial system, as well as in promoting inclusive, innovative and sustainable growth so as to protect interests of developing countries.

The Vietnamese delegate also urged NAM members to cooperate closely with and support each other and resolutely follow basic principles to make the movement stay firm on the face of the 21st century’s challenges.

Deputy Minister Quy went on to say that Vietnam, together with other ASEAN countries, always obeys and upholds principles of the UN Charter and international law.

Regarding the East Sea issue, Vietnam calls on relevant parties to restrain themselves and tackle disputes by peaceful measures on the basis of international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, while respecting diplomatic and legal progresses, the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea, and working towards the early formation of a binding Code of Conduct in the East Sea, Quy added.

In opening the NAM Ministerial Meeting, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev stressed that respecting international law is crucial to maintain peace and international security for sustainable development.

NAM should continue promoting the principles of respecting countries’ sovereignty and territorial integrity, not interfering into other’s internal works, not using or threatening to use violence, and settling all disputes by peaceful means, he stated.

The conference focused discussions on how to deal with regional and global challenges, foster socio-economic development, strengthen peace, stability and international security, and boost collaboration among NAM members.

They passed the meeting’s document which affirms NAM’s stance and overall principles on regional and global issues along with the commitments to handling disputes by peaceful means on the basis of international, acknowledges ASEAN’s efforts to build the ASEAN Community and strengthen the bloc’s central role in the regional structure, and calls for the peaceful settlement of the East Sea issue.

The meeting also adopted the Baku Declaration, Declaration on Palestine and Special Declaration on Nelson Mandela International Day.

On the sidelines of the meeting, Deputy Foreign Minister Quy was received by Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov.

Quy also had bilateral meetings with delegates from Nicaragua, Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, South Africa, Ghana, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and the Maldives to talk ways to boost bilateral cooperation.-VNA