Viet Nam, since it became an official member
of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in 1976, has actively participated in
activities to strengthen solidarity and enhance the role of the movement,
striving for the common goals of peace, national independence, democracy and
social advancement.

Deputy Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh. (Source: VNA)

The
statement was made by Deputy Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh in an interview
with the Vietnam News Agency on the role of NAM and the challenges facing the 50
year-old group as well as Viet Nam’s contributions to the movement.

“Viet
Nam always considers contributions to NAM an important part of its foreign
policy of openness, diversification and multilateralisation of relations, and
willingness to become a friend and reliable partner of all countries,” Minh
said.

Over the
past five decades, NAM had gathered the forces of developing countries and
actively supported the struggle for national independence, peace and the fight
for a new international economic order, said the Deputy FM.

NAM’s
noble objectives and principles since its early day have now become standards
which are widely acknowledged in modern international relations and a source of
strength that helps the movement overcome challenges. The most outstanding
principles include respecting equality and sovereignty, not interfering in other
countries’ internal affairs, strengthening friendship, not using or threatening
to use force in relations among nations as well as the peaceful settlement of
international issues on the basis of international law.

Minh
went on to say that world and regional situations would see rapid and profound
developments in the near future, which would require countries to strengthen
co-ordination to solve common challenges.

Therefore, NAM was expected to set out measures to strengthen solidarity and
dynamism, and its role in international relations and co-ordination in
multilateral forums in both politics and economics as well as in other global
issues, striving for a more equal and democratic new world order that ensured
the interests of developing countries, he stressed.

According to Minh, in the 16th NAM Ministerial Meeting in Indonesia from May
24-27, themed “A common vision of NAM’s contributions over the next 50 years”,
the movement’s orientation was discussed and measures were put forward to
strengthen its role and position in addressing global issues, protecting the
legitimate interests of its members and developing countries, and pushing for
the peaceful settlement of conflicts.

At the
meeting, the Vietnamese delegation proposed that NAM should actively raise its
voice in dealing with major international issues such as the UN reshuffle, the
implementation of Millennium Development Goals, the acceleration of the Doha
negotiations and responses to global crises and challenges, Minh said.

VietNamNet/Viet
Nam News