Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Đỗ Hùng Việt, who is also head of the ASEAN Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) delegation of Việt Nam at the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Interface with the Representatives of the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) in Vientiane on Wednesday. VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI A Vietnamese delegation led by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Đỗ Hùng Việt, who is also head of the ASEAN Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) delegation of Việt Nam, attended the Meeting of the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ) Commission and the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Interface with the Representatives of the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) in Vientiane, Laos on Wednesday.

These were the first activities within the framework of the 57th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM-57) and related meetings.

At the beginning of the meeting, delegates observed a minute of silence to commemorate General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam Nguyễn Phú Trọng. The foreign ministers of ASEAN countries and the ASEAN Secretary General sent their deep condolences to the Government, people of Việt Nam and the General Secretary's family over this great loss, expressing their admiration and respect for his life and career, as well as his great contributions to the process of national construction and development and to promoting friendship and cooperation in the region and the world.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Laos Saleumxay Kommasith announced that Laos will hold a national mourning on July 25 and 26 to express the boundless sadness at the passing of General Secretary Trọng.

On behalf of the Vietnamese delegation, Việt thanked the countries for their sharing and sympathies with Việt Nam in this moment of grief.

At the SEANWFZ Commission's Meeting, Việt highlighted the significance of the SEANWFZ Treaty, suggesting the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) soon prepare and submit a resolution on the SEANWFZ Treaty to the United Nations General Assembly and continue to call on nuclear-armed countries to join the SEANWFZ Protocol.

At the interface with the representatives of the AICHR, Việt welcomed the results that AICHR has achieved recently. He proposed the AICHR continue a balanced approach that is suitable for all member countries, and increase exchanges and cooperation with partners to share experience, enhance capacity, while promoting and ensuring the leading role of ASEAN. VNS