President Truong Tan Sang and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (Photo: VNA)

State President Truong Tan Sang and the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon discussed measures to promote the multidimensional cooperation between Vietnam and the UN in the coming time in Hanoi on May 22.

During talks held after a grand welcome ceremony for the UN chief, the two sides expressed their pleasure at strong development of the bilateral relationship.

The Vietnamese State leader highly valued the UN’s effective support for Vietnam in economic and social development, especially the realisation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

As the UN prepares to celebrate the 70th founding anniversary (1945-2015), the two sides agreed on the significance of adopting the Post-2015 Development Agenda along with Sustainable Development Goals and striving to reach a new global agreement on coping with climate change.

President Truong Tan Sang confirmed that as a responsible member of the UN, Vietnam has and will make active contributions to the global efforts in the aforesaid fields as well as in dealing with other global issues for the sake of peace, stability, cooperation and development.

He said the UN should continue to fulfil its responsibility to ensure international peace and security, while promoting its central role of coordinating global efforts to address challenges which are arising amidst complicated and unpredictable developments in the world such as political unrests, armed conflicts, terrorism and extremism, and territorial disputes.

The President stressed that to maintain peace and security in the region and the world, all nations must strictly follow the UN Charter and international law, respect other nations’ territorial integrity and sovereignty independence, and address all disputes via peaceful means and in line with international law without using force or threatening the use of force.

He informed the UN leader on recent developments in the East Sea and asked the UN Secretary General and the UN to continue keeping a close watch on the issue and urging the involved parties to solve disputes via peaceful means in accordance with principles stipulated in the UN Charter and international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

He confirmed that Vietnam will actively get involved in the UN’s important activities, including peacekeeping mission.

For his part, the UN Secretary General extolled the significant socio-economic achievements that Vietnam has gained in its “doi moi” (reform) process.

He affirmed that the UN highly values the role and active contributions of Vietnam in the UN activities such as the participation in the UN Human Rights Council in the 2014-2016 tenure and the peacekeeping missions.

He shared that this year, the UN will prioritise the adoption of the Post-2015 Development Agenda, the Sustainable Development Goals and a framework agreement on climate change.

He encouraged Vietnam to continue contributing to UN work, including bidding for a seat in the UN Economic and Social Council in the 2016-2018 tenure and the UN Security Council in the 2020-2021 tenure.

He suggested the country maintain close cooperation with the UN in implementing the “One UN” initiative in Vietnam.

The Secretary General also expressed his concerns over the increasing tensions in the East Sea, saying he hopes the parties involved will hold dialogues and address disputes peacefully in line with the UN Charter and international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS.

He wished that ASEAN countries and China will reach the Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) as soon as possible, adding that the UN is willing to support this process if the involved parties propose.

After the meeting, President Truong Tan Sang and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon met with the press on the outcomes of their talks.

During his two-day visit to Vietnam from May 22-23, the UN chief is scheduled to meet with Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh.

He is also expected to attend a one-year review conference of the UN peace-keeping mission and a ceremony to inaugurate the UN Green House.

Source: vietnam+