The Ministry of Defence launched the Viet Nam Peacekeeping Centre in Ha Noi on May 27, marking the country’s official participation in the United Nations operation.

Vietnamese and UN officials at the ceremony (Photo: VNA)

The centre is tasked with giving counselling, training personnel, and preparing, deploying and operating all forces from the Viet Nam People’s Army joining UN peacekeeping missions.

At the ceremony, the ministry also dispatched Lieutenant Colonels Mac Duc Trong and Tran Nam Ngan to serve as liaison officers for the UN peacekeeping team in South Sudan. They are expected to leave for the African country in June.

Defence Minister Phung Quang Thanh said that the inauguration of the Viet Nam Peacekeeping Centre is the great outcome of joint efforts by the ministry and other sectors over nearly a decade.

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam underlined the political significance of the centre, adding that peace can only be made when unilateral actions running counter to international law are eliminated.

“Peace can only be maintained when all countries, regardless of size and power, respect one another’s independence and sovereignty and share the responsibility of keeping peace through practical and concrete actions,” he stressed.

Dam noted Viet Nam will always support and exert every effort for the UN peace operations.

He added the inauguration of the centre reflects the country’s consistent policy of peace, cooperation, development, and proactive international integration. It also shows Viet Nam as a responsible member of the international community.

The Deputy PM voiced his hope that the centre’s officers will incessantly do their utmost to successfully fulfill assigned tasks in the interests of Viet Nam and global peace.

At the ceremony, UN Under-Secretary-General for Field Support Ameerah Haq said that by setting up the centre and dispatching two officers to South Sudan, Viet Nam has made a step forward in its cooperation with the international community.

(Source: VNA)