60 years of Geneva Agreement conference marked in Hanoi

The 60th anniversary ceremony was attended by President Truong Tan Sang, government officials and international diplomatic representatives.

"The Geneva Agreement, which was signed on July 20, 1954, asked France and all other countries who attended the Geneva Conference, to respect the independence and territorial integration of Vietnam," said Sang.

The signing of the agreement was an important milestone in Vietnamese people’s struggle for national liberation, opening up a new period for the Vietnamese Revolution towards total national liberation and unification, he said.

The Geneva Conference was the first of its kind, in which the French government and each participating country pledged to respect the sovereignty, independence, unity, territorial integrity, and non-intervention in internal affairs of Vietnam.

President Sang noted that although sixty years have elapsed, the agreement teaches Vietnam valuable lessons in the cause of national construction and defence.

He listed a number of lessons that Vietnam can draw from, including upholding the spirit of national independence and self-reliance in defending national interests, bringing into full play the role of diplomacy in tackling disputes in accordance with international law, and increasing the aggregate strength of the great unity bloc in national development.