Defence Minister Ngo Xuan Lich addresses the session (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Deputies at the 14th National Assembly on October 24 gave opinionson a draft resolution on Vietnam’s engagement in UN peacekeeping operations, as part of the ongoing NA’s 10th session.
Accordingto Defence Minister Ngo Xuan Lich, since 2014, Vietnam has sent 172 officersand staff from the Ministry of Defence to UN peacekeeping missions in CentralAfrica Republic and South Sudan as well as the Department of Peacekeeping Operationsat the UN headquarters.
Currently,the Government is directing the ministry to prepare to sent about 320 sappersunder the Vietnam People’s Army to UN peacekeeping operations.
Allofficers sent to the missions have completed their tasks, he said.
Interms of finance, Vietnam has received over 4.8 million USD from the UN andmore than 20 million USD from international community for the work, which hashelped reduce the State budget spending for the activities, he noted.
Meanwhile,as part of the efforts to implement a project to send police officers to UNpeacekeeping missions in the 2014-2020 period, the Government is directing thePublic Security Ministry to train officers and work with the UN agencies on thework.
FirstVietnamese police officers are scheduled to be sent to UN peacekeeping missionsfrom 2021, said the minister.
Minister Lich noted that the engagement in UN peacekeepingoperations is a new task which has not been institutionalised, leading to obstacles during theimplementation of the work.
He underlined thesignificance to build and issue a NA resolution on UN peacekeeping operationengagement to review, supplement and issue new legal documents in the field tomatch international conventions and agreements to which Vietnam is a signatory.
Thedraft resolution comprises six chapters and 17 articles.
At the session, deputies listened to a report verifying thedraft resolution delivered by NA Committee for Defence-Security Vo Trong Viet,which shows that the committee basically agrees with the need to issue theresolution to institutionalise the resolutions of the Party and rules of theConstitution and demands of the reality in the field.
Thecommittee also agreed on the consideration of the approval of the resolution atthe 10th session of the NA.
The majority of the deputies also concurred to propose the NA topass the draft resolution during the 10th session.
DefenceMinister Ngo Xuan Lich also answered questions raised by deputies on thedraft resolution at the session./.
