Vietnamese Minister of National Defence Gen. Phan Văn Giang (left) had talks with Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix in New York. — VNA/VNS Photo

NEW YORK — Vietnamese Minister of National Defence Gen. Phan Văn Giang met with United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix in New York on September 23 (local time), within the framework of Party General Secretary and State President Tô Lâm’s trip to the US for the UN General Assembly's 79th session and Summit of the Future.

Giang, who is also Vice Secretary of the Central Military Commission, highly valued the UN's pivotal role in building the international law system, maintaining peace, preventing conflicts and addressing global challenges, affirming that as a UN member, Việt Nam always follows the UN Charter, its resolutions and action programmes.

He expressed the Vietnamese Defence Ministry’s thanks for the UN's support and cooperation with the country over the past 47 years.

In national defence-security, Việt Nam actively joins the UN's collective efforts to address non-traditional security challenges, contributing to maintaining global and regional peace and security, particularly in UN peacekeeping operations, disarmament, and the fight against cross-border crime.

As a member of international disarmament treaties, Việt Nam strictly complies with UN Security Council resolutions on preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, proactively and fully engages in activities under these treaties, he said.

Informing Lacroix about Việt Nam's achievements after a decade of participation in UN peacekeeping operations, Giang said Việt Nam has so far deployed more than 900 military and police personnel to the UN missions in South Sudan (UNMISS), the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), and the Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA).

Việt Nam has also successfully deployed five rotations of Level-2 field hospital at UNMISS and two rotations of Engineering Unit at UNISFA. On September 24, Việt Nam will continue its commitment by deploying its sixth Level-2 field hospital to UNMISS and the Engineering Unit Rotation 3 to UNISFA. Additionally, Việt Nam has consistently maintained a high proportion of female personnel in UN peacekeeping operations, with participation rates exceeding 14 per cent.

Stressing that Việt Nam consistently pursues a foreign policy of independence, self-reliance for peace, cooperation and development, being a friend and a reliable partner and a responsible member of the international community, Giang said Việt Nam wishes to further enhance its participation in UN peacekeeping operations, increase the number of officers joining UN activities and receive continued UN support for Vietnamese military attachés and army officers at the UN.

Giang wished that Lacroix would continue to support Việt Nam's commitments and political determination in joining UN peacekeeping operations.

Lacroix praised Việt Nam's increasingly active and effective participation in UN peacekeeping operations, stressing that this has significantly enhanced the effectiveness of the missions to which Việt Nam has contributed forces.

He believed that the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence, and Việt Nam as a whole, would continue to make effective contributions to UN peacekeeping operations, noting that these efforts affirm Việt Nam's commitment and responsibility toward global peace and security while also fostering its cooperative and trustful relationships with the UN and other partners. — VNS