Vietnam highlights importance of abiding by UN Charter, international law
VOV.VN - A Vietnamese diplomat stressed the importance of complying with the Charter of the United Nations and principles of international law in order to maintain peace and security amid global challenges at a UN session in New York on February 21.
Addressing the annual session of the Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations, Minister – Councilor Le Thi Minh Thoa, deputy head of the Vietnamese Delegation to the UN, noted sanctions should be used as a last resort.
To avoid adverse effects on economic activities and people’s lives, Thoa said sanctions should be built on a clear legal basis with specific objectives and implementation time.
According to the diplomat, sanctions should be lifted when objectives are achieved on the back of periodic reviews. She also called on relevant agencies and expert groups to fully consider the impact of sanctions on third countries.
With regard to the settlement of disputes by peaceful means, the Vietnamese diplomat affirmed that Vietnam always upholds this basic principle of international law and supports measures mentioned in Article 33 of the UN Charter.
She voiced Vietnam’s support for the exchange and sharing of national information regarding the use of regional mechanisms and agreements to build trust, prevent and reduce conflicts.
At the regional level, Thoa said ASEAN has taken the lead in efforts to establish a series of effective dialogue mechanisms such as the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and the East Asia Summit (EAS).
In addition to consolidating basic documents for friendly cooperation and dispute settlement such as the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC), she said ASEAN and its partners are jointly implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and working toward a Code of Conduct in the regional waters (COC) in accordance with international law as well as the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).