The meeting was in the framework of the ongoing working visit of Party General Secretary and State President To Lam and the high-ranking delegation of Vietnam to attend the U.N. Summit of the Future, the 79th session of the U.N. General Assembly and hold working sessions in the U.S.
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Defense Minister Phan Van Giang and U.N. Under-Secretary General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix |
Minister Giang expressed his delight at visiting the U.N.’s headquarters and meeting with the U.N. Under-Secretary-General. He highly appreciated the U.N.’s role in building international legal system, keeping peace, preventing conflicts and responding to global challenges.
The Vietnamese defense chief affirmed that as a U.N. member, Vietnam always complies with the U.N. Chapter, its resolutions and action programs. He took this chance to express thanks from the Ministry of National Defense (MND) of Vietnam for the U.N.’s support for and cooperation with Vietnam over the past more than 47 years.
He underlined that in national defense-security, Vietnam actively joins the U.N.'s collective efforts to address non-traditional security challenges, thereby maintaining peace and security in the region and the world, particularly in U.N. peacekeeping operations, disarmament, and cross-border crime prevention and control. In addition, as a member of international disarmament treaties, Vietnam strictly observes U.N. Security Council’s resolutions on preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, pro-actively and fully engages in activities within the framework of these treaties.
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Minister Giang presents a souvenir to the U.N. official. |
Informing the U.N. official about Vietnam’s achievements during its ten years of engagement in U.N. peacekeeping operations, Minister Giang stressed that Vietnam has sent over 900 military and police personnel to U.N. Missions in South Sudan (UNMISS), the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), and the Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA). The country has also successfully deployed five level-2 field hospitals (L2FH) to UNMISS and two engineering companies to UNISFA. On September 24, Vietnam will send the L2FH Rotation 6 to UNMISS and the Engineering Company Rotation 3 to UNISFA. Vietnam has always maintained a high proportion of female personnel participating in U.N. peacekeeping operations (exceeding 14%).
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U.N. Under-Secretary General Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Defense Minister Phan Van Giang, and other delegates in a group photo |
Stressing that Vietnam persistently pursues its foreign policy of independence, self-reliance for peace, cooperation and development, being a friend and a reliable partner, a responsible member of the international community, Minister Giang said that Vietnam is willing to strengthen its participation in U.N. peacekeeping operations in both form and scale, increase the number of officers joining the U.N. activities, and receive continued U.N. support, creation of condition for Vietnamese military attachés and military officers at the U.N.
He hoped that the U.N. Under-Secretary General would continue to support Vietnam’s commitments and political determination in participating in U.N. peacekeeping operations.
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U.N. Under-Secretary General Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Defense Minister Phan Van Giang, delegates, and Vietnamese officers working at the U.N. headquarters in a group photo |
U.N. Under-Secretary General Jean-Pierre Lacroix highly valued Vietnam’s increasingly active and effective engagement in U.N. peacekeeping operations and its peacekeepers’ capabilities, professionalism, and sense of responsibilities, stressing that these have significantly enhanced the effectiveness of the U.N. missions to which Vietnam has sent forces.
Voicing his support for Vietnam to improve its capacity and expand its engagement in U.N. peacekeeping operations, the U.N. official believed that the Vietnamese MND in particular and Vietnam in general would make more effective contribution to the field to affirm the country’s commitment and responsibility toward global peace and security while bolstering its cooperative and trustful relationships with the U.N. and other partners.
By Thu Trang from New York, the U.S.
Translated by Mai Huong