Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien, Deputy Defense Minister and Head of the Vietnamese Defense Ministry’s Steering Committee on Vietnam's Participation in U.N. Peacekeeping Operations; Lieutenant General Phung Si Tan, Deputy Chief of the General Staff, and representatives from some military units attended the ceremony. The event also saw the participation of representatives from the embassies and defense attachés of Australia, the U.S., Canada, France, Germany, Japan, and Russia to Vietnam.
The building will be used as a convenient residence for international instructors and trainees participating in training activities, professional exchanges, seminars, and conferences on peacekeeping at the VNDPKO.
Addressing the event, the U.S. Chargé d’Affaires to Vietnam Marie C. Damour expressed her delight at the U.S.’s support for the VNDPKO in its efforts to become a training center of international caliber for U.N. peacekeeping. She affirmed that the construction demonstrates the importance of the Vietnam-U.S. bilateral partnership and symbolizes the U.S. commitment to bolstering U.N. peacekeeping missions.
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The VNDPKO is to become a regional and global training hub for U.N. peacekeeping. |
In addition, it will also serve not only Vietnamese peacekeeping forces but also regional partners participating in U.N. missions, contributing to the preparation for the missions of Vietnam’s peacekeepers.
Regarding the engagement of Vietnam’s Level-2 Field Hospital in the U.N. Mission in South Sudan, she believed that Vietnam would further contribute to the task. The U.S. has always backed Vietnam in this field, she underscored.
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Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien and Mrs. Marie Damour |
For his part, Major General Hoang Kim Phung, Director of the VNDPKO, hailed the U.S. for its effective and practical support, considering the construction a symbol of the bilateral defense cooperation. He also stressed that the assistance of the U.S. as well as international partners has contributed to improving Vietnam’s capacity to participate in U.N. peacekeeping operations, as well as paving the way for the country to become a regional and global training hub for U.N. peacekeeping.
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Delegates touring the building |
Prior to the S8 construction, the U.S. also funded the construction of S5 building at the VNDPKO. It is the training base for honing skills for members of the Level-2 Field Hospital rotations before their deployment to peacekeeping missions as well as hosting U.N. refresher courses for neighboring countries in the region.
Translated by Minh Anh