A farewell party for three Vietnamese officials who are going to join the UN peacekeeping missions in April 2015 (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – Cooperation in the UN peacekeeping has become a significant part in the collaborative ties between Vietnam and China’s national defence ministries and armies, heard a workshop in Hanoi on December 1.
Lieut. Gen. Vo Van Tuan, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army underlined the growing collaboration between the two countries from politics, economics and culture to defence and security in line with the bilateral comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership.
In 2015, the two defence ministers have convened their meetings for three times to hold talks and sign important documents, including the collaboration agreement on the UN peacekeeping activities, he said.
He appreciated China sending its experts to Vietnam to share know-how and increase partnership in the field.
The official proposed the Vietnam Peacekeeping Centre and the Chinese Ministry of National Defence’s Peacekeeping Office jointly organise more symposiums and map out specific cooperation programmes, focusing on training and experience exchanges.
He suggested the Vietnamese and Chinese permanent delegations to the UN forge ahead with coordination to implement peacekeeping activities.
Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam Hong Xiaoyong cited that the two defence ministers signed a Memorandum of Understanding on peacekeeping cooperation in April 2015, which opened up a new collaborative field between the two armies.
The workshop means to actualise cooperation contents in the document, he said, expressing his belief that the bilateral exchanges in the realm will be further expanded and become a spotlight in the traditional friendship between the two countries’ states and armies.
Since its inception in May 2014, the Vietnam Peacekeeping Centre has dispatched seven officers to the UN missions in South Sudan and the Central African Republic .
The country is preparing to deploy the second-level field hospital and a company of engineers to engage in peacekeeping missions when required.-VNA
