Minister of Defence Ngô Xuân Lịch speaks during NA's ongoing 10th session which discusses VN's engagement in UN peacekeeping operations. – VNA/VNS Photo Dương Giang

HÀ NỘI – Deputies of the 14th National Assembly on Saturday discussed a draft resolution on Việt Nam’s engagement in UN peacekeeping operations, as part of the NA's ongoing 10th session.

According to Defence Minister Ngô Xuân Lịch, since 2014, Việt Nam has sent 172 officers and staff from the Ministry of Defence to UN peacekeeping missions in the Central Africa Republic and South Sudan as well as the Department of Peacekeeping Operations at the UN headquarters.

Currently, the Government is directing the ministry to prepare to send about 320 sappers under the Việt Nam People’s Army to UN peacekeeping operations.

All officers sent to the missions have completed their tasks, he said.

In terms of finance, Việt Nam has received more than US$4.8 million from the UN and more than $20 million from the international community for the work, which has helped reduce State budget spending on the activities, he noted.

Meanwhile, as part of efforts to implement a project to send police officers to UN peacekeeping missions in 2014-2020, the Government is directing the Ministry of Public Security to train officers and work with UN agencies on the work.

Vietnamese police officers are scheduled to be sent to UN peacekeeping missions from 2021, said the minister.

Minister Lich noted that engagement in UN peacekeeping operations is a new task which has not been institutionalised, leading to obstacles during the implementation of the work.

He underlined the significance of building and issuing an NA resolution on UN peacekeeping operation engagement to review, supplement and issue new legal documents in the field to match international conventions and agreements to which Việt Nam is a signatory.

At the session, deputies listened to a report verifying the draft resolution delivered by NA Committee for Defence-Security Võ Trọng Việt, which showed the committee basically agrees with the need to issue the resolution to institutionalise the resolutions of the Party and rules of the Constitution and demands of reality in the field.

The committee also agreed on the consideration of the approval of the resolution at the 10th session of the NA.

The majority of deputies also concurred to propose the NA to pass the draft resolution during the 10th session.

During the session, Defence Minister Lich also answered questions raised by deputies on the draft resolution at the session. VNS