Deputy Defence Minister Sen. Lieut. Gen. Nguyen Chi Vinh emphasized this while joining defence officials from 27 members of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) in a ARF Security Policy Conference (ASPC) in Phnom Penh on May 25.

General Vinh affirmed Vietnam’s consistent viewpoint against global proliferation of nuclear weapons and stressed the importance of nuclear energy use for peaceful purposes, saying that priority should be given to safety.

Vietnam is studying a roadmap for the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes in its industrialisation and modernisation, he added.

The senior defence official emphasized the importance of maintaining safety during project operations and said Vietnam is willing to cooperate with other countries to ensure nuclear safety.

The ASPC said that this is an important issue for the region and necessary to encourage nations to participate in international nuclear treaties and mechanisms, complete their domestic legal frameworks, build training and assistance centres relating to nuclear security as well as increase international cooperation on the issue.

Regarding the situation at sea and in the East Sea in particular, participants said the disputes need to be solved peacefully on the basis of international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and regional treaties.

They supported ASEAN and China’s effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) for peace, stability and security in the region.

Both sides should make effort to ensure maritime freedom, natural resource exploitation and economic development in accordance with international law, they said.

Delegations to the conference expressed concern over recent complications in the East Sea, and said they want concerned parties to refrain themselves and listen to the international community’s opinions, to peacefully solve disputes.