Vietnam joins efforts to eliminate chemical weapons

Vietnam always constructively coordinates with other members of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) to raise the significance of the disarmament of weapons of mass destruction in general and chemical weapons in particular, said Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Do Thang Hai.

Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Do Thang Hai
Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Do Thang Hai

Hai, who is also head of Vietnam’s national agency in charge of implementing the CWC, made the remarks at a reception for Ahmet Üzümcü, Director-General of Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), in Hanoi on May 7.

The official showed his support for the full observance of the CWC and condemned all actions using chemical weapons.

It is necessary to ensure the legitimate rights and interests of all countries in the development of the chemical industry for peaceful purposes, he stressed.

Vietnam highly values the OPCW’s support for the country by providing equipment and improving the professional capacity of Vietnamese officials and experts in the chemical industry through training courses, conferences and workshops held by the organisation, he said.

Hai called on Ahmet Üzümcü to continue backing Vietnam in its activities within the CWC, especially in chemical safety and security, and the application of green chemical access in chemical production.

Since Vietnam signed the CWC, which was opened for signature in 1993 and adopted it in August 1998, the country has actively fulfilled its obligations as a member.

Vietnam issued legal documents for the implementation of the CWC in 2005 which were amended and supplemented in 2014.

During the Vietnam visit in 2006, then OPCW General Director Rogelio Pfirter said that Vietnam was one of the countries to issue the earliest and most complete legal regulations in terms of the implementation of the CWC, proving the Vietnamese government’s seriousness in implementing the commitments it made upon signing the CWC.

Since the CWC took effect, ties between Vietnam and OPCW have progressed, especially in raising public awareness of chemical weapons and the training of technical experts.

OPCW has held seven conferences in Vietnam while the country also received delegations of OPCW inspectors who arrived to check the data of chemical manufacturing facilities.

Vietnam has fully performed the duty of submitting annual reports to OPCW in accordance with CWC’s regulations. The country has run for a seat at OPCW’s executive council for the 2016-2018 tenure.