Statement by the Press Secretary/Director-General for Press and Public Relations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on the Ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) by the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam

March 14, 2006

  1. On March 10 (Fri), the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam deposited its instrument of ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) with the United Nations. As the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam is one of the eleven countries whose ratification is required for the entry into force of the Treaty, Japan highly values and welcomes Viet Nam's ratification as an action to give impetus to the international nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.
  2. To facilitate the early entry-into-force of the Treaty, Japan has made active approaches to the non-ratified countries, whose ratifications are required for the entry into force of the Treaty, including Viet Nam. At the Japan-Vietnam Summit Meeting in June 2004, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi urged Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai to promptly ratify the CTBT, and in April 2005 then Minister for Foreign Affairs Nobutaka Machimura sent letters to Foreign Ministers of eleven countries including Viet Nam, requesting early ratification of the CTBT. In early March 2006, Japan also invited Vietnamese officials who were in charge of the CTBT, and they visited international monitoring facilities in Japan and exchanged views with relevant Japanese counterparts. Japan regards the recent ratification by Viet Nam as a reflection of Japan's such enduring diplomatic efforts.
  3. Japan intends to continue to urge the other remaining ten countries to ratify the Treaty as early as possible following Viet Nam's decision for the early entry-into-force of the Treaty, and Japan will also continuously make its diplomatic efforts to further promote nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.
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