Geneva Agreement marks important milestone in world, Việt Nam’s history: UPEACE Ambassador

Deputy Minister of National Defence Tạ Quang Bửu (sitting, right), of the delegation of the Democratic Republic of Việt Nam, and French General Henri Delteil, Acting Commander-in-chief of the French Union forces in Indochina, sign the agreement on the cessation of hostilities in Việt Nam. — VNA/VNS Photo Minh Tú

GENEVA — The signing of the Geneva Agreement on Indochina 70 years ago marked an important milestone in the history of the world in general and Việt Nam in particular, according to David Fernandez Puyana, Ambassador, Permanent Observer of UN University for Peace (UPEACE) to the UN and other international organisations in Geneva.

Speaking to the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) there on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the agreement, he said that it demonstrated important progress in the United Nations (UN) globalisation process.

The official noted that the UN was founded in 1944 with only 54 independent countries but today it has nearly 200 member countries.

He believes this process represents part of the development history of the UN, which is directly related to colonialism. After the Geneva Agreement, there was a collapse of the colonial system, with a series of Asian-African colonialised countries gaining independence in the late 1950s and early 1960s. This was a great success for many countries, he commented.

The Geneva Conference on Indochina began on May 8, 1954. After 75 days of complicated and intense negotiations with 31 sessions, the Geneva Agreement was signed with contents directly related to Việt Nam, including participating States’ respect for the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Việt Nam, Laos and Cambodia, no interference in the countries’ internal affairs, ceasefire on the entire Indochina battlefield, and the French coalition army’s withdrawal from Indochina, he noted.

He held that looking back to the 70-year agreement would help draw valuable lessons and experience for modern Vietnamese diplomacy.

Commenting on Việt Nam’s bamboo diplomacy strategy and the “four no’s” policy of Việt Nam, which clarify the country’s neutrality without siding with one country against another, the ambassador underlined that it represented a new diplomatic method. He welcomed the country’s policies, especially those on upholding independence and self-reliance, which match the UN principles, prioritising dialogue and the flexible settlements of issues.

Despite challenges, these policies show the world that Việt Nam is a peace-loving country that always attaches much importance to dialogue, according to the UPEACE Ambassador, who described this as an important model in peace building. — VNS