New York (VNA) – The adoption of thefirst-ever global treaty to ban nuclear weapons at the recent United Nationsconference has great historical, ethical and legal meaning, sending out animportant political message reiterating the determination and aspiration ofpeople around the world to eliminate nuclear weapons, a Vietnamese diplomat hassaid.

Ambassador Nguyen Phuong Nga, Permanent Representative ofVietnam to the UN, who led the Vietnamese delegation to the United NationsConference to negotiate a legally-binding instrument to prohibit nuclearweapons, in New York from June 15 to July 7 with the participation of 130 UNmember countries, told Vietnam News Agency correspondents following the signingof the treaty.

This manifested the tireless struggle carriedout by the countries without nuclear weapons over the past 70 years, Nga noted.

The first-ever global treaty, which received the “yes” votes of 122 nations, prohibits all ratifyingcountries never under any circumstances to develop, test, produce, manufacture,otherwise acquire, possess or stockpile nuclear weapons or other nuclearexplosive devices.

It also bans any transfer or use of nuclearweapons or nuclear explosive devices and the threat to use such weapons.

Under the new treaty, signatory states must agree to not allowany other countries to install or deploy nuclear weapons on their territory orareas within their jurisdiction and control, Nga said.

Particularly, the document stipulates thatcountries conducting tests and using nuclear weapons must support victims ofaffected nations and address environmental consequences, she noted.

Legally, with the adoption of this treaty, therehave been so far international treaties banning all three types of weapons ofmass destruction, namely nuclear weapons, chemical weapons, and biologicalweapons, Nga said.

This is a new progress and an important legalfoundation to strengthen the nuclear weapon disarmament mechanisms towards anuclear-free world, she said.

Vietnam has proactively and activelyparticipated in the negotiation of the treaty, especially strengtheningcoordination with other ASEAN members and countries having the same viewpointsto bring important contents into the treaty such as banning the threat to usenuclear weapons and stipulating responsibilities of countries testing and usingnuclear weapons for affected ones, she added. - VNA