Paris Agreement: milestone in Vietnam diplomacy
The 1973 Paris Agreement on ending the war and restoring peace in Vietnam marked an outstanding historical period and the peak of Ho Chi Minh era diplomacy, Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh has said.
In an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency, Minh stressed that the agreement is the most comprehensive legal document recognising Vietnam’s right to independence, unification and territorial integrity.
He said that the agreement imparted many valuable experiences and lessons, in which the decisive element behind the triumph was the sound leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam.
“The Paris conference also proved the fact that only when we preserve our independence and sovereignty in making any decision, can we take the proactive role in attacking the enemy and seizing all opportunities to protect national interests,” said Minh.
“The diplomatic struggle during the anti-US war, the peak of which was the Paris conference, was a strategic front that contributed greatly to the cause of national liberation,” said the minister.
He went on to say that the rule of the Paris Agreement negotiations, which was to maintain independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, has been an immutable rule in negotiations since then.
The Paris conference took place from January 25, 1969 to January 27, 1973 with 202 open and 24 private meetings. After four years and eight months of negotiations, the US was forced to stop bombing, withdraw all troops from southern Vietnam and recognise Vietnam’s sovereignty, reunification and territorial integrity.
The agreement was a turning point in Vietnam’s anti-US war, which culminated in the liberation of the south and reunification of the country in April 1975.