Vice State President Vo Thi Anh Xuan attended the ceremony. Deputy Defense Minister Sr. Lt. Gen. Nguyen Truong Thang chaired the event.
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MND’s leaders receive Vice State President Vo Thi Anh Xuan. |
At the ceremony, Vice State President Vo Thi Anh Xuan presented the national flag, the decisions assigning the two units to U.N. peacekeeping missions, and a painting to the two units. The gifts reflected the trust and expectations of the Party, State and people of Viet Nam in the Vietnamese peacekeeping forces before their departure on international missions.
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Vice State President Vo Thi Anh Xuan presents the President's decisions assigning the L2FH Rotation 8 and the Engineering Rotation 5 to international missions. |
Speaking at the event, the Vice State President affirmed that as an active and responsible member of the U.N., Viet Nam remains steadfast in pursuing an independent, self-reliant and resilient foreign policy based on peace, friendship, cooperation and development, while diversifying and multilateralizing its external relations. Viet Nam has proactively and actively participated in multilateral cooperation mechanisms to address global challenges.
Viet Nam's participation in U.N. peacekeeping operations is a concrete manifestation of this policy. After more than 12 years of direct contributions to the mechanism, beginning with individual officers deployed on missions, Viet Nam has gradually expanded the size and scope of its participation, as well as the areas and forms of deployment, while improving the quality of its contributions. The country has deployed various types of units and personnel to a wide range of positions, with more than 1,600 officers, officials and personnel from the Viet Nam People's Army and People's Public Security forces having served in U.N. peacekeeping missions.
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Vice Chairman of the General Department of Political Affairs Sr. Lt. Gen. Le Quang Minh announces the President's decisions on the rotation and replacement of the two units at the U.N. peacekeeping missions in South Sudan and Abyei. |
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Sr. Lt. Gen. Nguyen Truong Thang speaks at the event. |
To enable Viet Nam to make increasingly proactive, substantive and effective contributions to U.N. peacekeeping operations, the Vice State President called on ministries, sectors and relevant agencies to strengthen domestic coordination and cooperation with U.N. organizations, countries and partners; leverage Viet Nam's strengths and gradually expand the forces, fields, areas and forms of participation as appropriate; safeguard national interests on the basis of international law while making practical contributions to peace and security in the region and around the world.
She also called for improvements in force-building and preparation, with greater attention to personnel selection, education, training and political, foreign-language and professional development, as well as command, staff and international working skills.
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The personnel of the two units |
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Family members of the personnel from the two units attend the event |
In his remarks, Sr. Lt. Gen. Nguyen Truong Thang praised the Viet Nam Department of Peacekeeping Operations (VNDPKO) and relevant agencies and units for their proactive and close coordination and thorough preparations for the deployment of the two forces. He requested the department and relevant agencies and units to effectively implement policies for personnel and military families, regularly monitor the morale and living conditions of officers, personnel and their families, and promptly address difficulties and obstacles to ensure that personnel can remain confident in carrying out their duties and successfully complete their missions throughout their deployment.
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Maj. Gen. Pham Manh Thang delivers a report at the ceremony. |
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Colonel Nguyen Thi Minh Phuong, Deputy Director of the L2FH Rotation 8, delivers a pledge on behalf of the two units. |
He also expressed the confidence of the Central Military Commission and the MND that the two units would remain united, steadfast, proactive and creative, strictly observe discipline, ensure safety and fulfill all assigned missions.
Reporting at the ceremony, VNDPKO Director Major General Pham Manh Thang said L2FH Rotation 8 comprises 63 members, while Engineering Company Rotation 5 has 184 members. The two units will take over the missions of L2FH Rotation 7 and Engineering Company Rotation 4, respectively.
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The two units departing after the ceremony |
Speaking to PAN’s reporters on the sidelines of the event, Pauline Tamesis, U.N. Resident Coordinator in Viet Nam, said the departure ceremony for the two units was taking place at a particularly meaningful time.
She noted that General Secretary and President To Lam is attending the High-level Debate of the 81st Session of the U.N. General Assembly and conducting bilateral activities in the U.S. The event demonstrates Viet Nam's pioneering role in promoting multilateralism and its commitment to making further contributions to U.N. peacekeeping operations. The departure ceremony further affirmed Viet Nam's strong commitment to and support for global peacebuilding efforts at a time when the world is facing uncertainty and significant instability.
Translated by Quynh Oanh