In an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency on June 9, Professor Shankiari Sundararaman, Chair of the Center for Indo-Pacific Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, said, “I believe that being on the United Nations Security Council is a matter of prestige for Vietnam, especially since it has won the election by almost 100 percent vote and it is the only country from among 54 members of the Asia-Pacific region to be on the UNSC.”

In her opinion, on the economic aspects, Vietnam has been a “critical” country, given that global economic growth has shifted eastwards. She added that in 2020, Vietnam will also be the Chair of the ASEAN and “its voice will matter” in both the regional and global spaces.

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Professor Shankiari Sundararaman, Chair of the Center for Indo-Pacific Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, in an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency

The professor went on to say that Vietnam is being seen as a “mature state” which has gone through the challenges of being divided, and it can act as an “honest peace broker” for the conflict on the Korean Peninsula. “As a country that has experienced the realities of a divided country and people that were divided, Vietnam has the maturity to comprehend the nature of the conflict,” she affirmed.

Besides, as a member of the UNSC, the professor said Vietnam can also play an important role in maintaining maritime security, adding, “Vietnam will be important in the coming future as it has been focused on the adherence to international law, the respect for the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas and the preservation of the normative order.”

Regarding the most challenging issues that Vietnam and other UNSC members have to deal with in the coming time, the professor said the reform of the organization is critical now.

Source: VNA