Ambassador Đặng Đình Quý, Permanent Representative of Việt Nam to the UN. — VNA/VNS Photo

NEW YORK — Ambassador Đặng Đình Quý, Permanent Representative of Việt Nam to the UN, has called on concerned parties to fully observe international humanitarian law to prevent hunger in Ethiopia.

Quý made the call at the UN Security Council (UNSC)'s meeting on Monday, which was attended by UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Rosemary Dicarlo and the African Union High Representative for the Horn of Africa region, Olusegun Obasanjo.

He expressed his deep concern over the deteriorating situation in Ethiopia, especially continued fighting and increased hostilities in and around the Tigray, Amhara and Afar regions over the weekend.

The Vietnamese representative urged all parties to immediately end hostilities and promote comprehensive dialogue, paving the way for a sustainable ceasefire.

Escalating hostilities threatened to worsen the humanitarian situation in Ethiopia, where millions of people needed urgent assistance, 400,000 of them were living in famine-like conditions, the Vietnamese diplomat stated, calling for the full observance of the international humanitarian law, creation of favourable conditions for humanitarian access, restoration of public services, and enforcement of measures to protect civilians, infrastructure and aid workers.

As the current conflict in the African country stems from deep-rooted political, historic and ethnic issues, the concerned parties must put interests of people first, stop fighting, hold dialogue and start an Ethiopia-led political process, Quý continued. All efforts should be directed towards a comprehensive solution for stability and development in Ethiopia in line with the basic principles of international law and the UN Charter, he added.

Against such a backdrop, Việt Nam called on the concerned parties to refrain from any actions that further complicate the situation and respect the principle of non-interference in other states’ internal affairs and settlement of disputes via peaceful measures, he said.

Quý voiced support for the role of the African Union High Representative for the Horn of Africa, and the timely and constructive efforts made by the international community, neighbouring countries and regional organisations to assist Ethiopia in dealing with hardships. — VNS