Sen. Lieut. Gen Phung Si Tan, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army (centre, right) and Lieut. Gen. Ueda Kazumasa, Chief of Staff for Japanese Ground Component Command at their meeting in Hanoi on September 15 (Photo: qdnd.vn) Affirming that Vietnam attaches great importance to promoting the extensive strategic partnership with Japan, Sen. Lieut. Gen. Tan said that defence has been one of the important pillars in bilateral relations, particularly regarding education, training, and UN peacekeeping operations.
The two sides have supported each other at multilateral military and defence operations and forums in the region, including the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM ) and the ASEAN Regional Forum, he noted.
On the foundation of the memorandum of understanding on cooperation in the field of UN peacekeeping signed in 2015, the two sides have effectively conducted joint activities in professional training and experience sharing in UN peacekeeping operations. This has included the exchange of experts and working groups and the participation in UN peacekeeping training courses.
On September 13, Vietnam launched the Competency Evaluation Programme for Prospective UN Peacekeepers (CEPPP) and the Experts’ Working Group on Peacekeeping Operations Cycle 4. The programme is within the framework of the ADMM-Plus co-chaired by Vietnam and Japan.
Sen. Lieut. Gen. Tan underlined that the co-chair of the working group and activities in the current cycle showed the commitment by the Defence Ministries of Vietnam and Japan in promoting cooperation within the ADMM and the UN peacekeeping missions.
The official proposed that in the time to come, the two sides continue to effectively implement cooperation activities as in agreements reached by leaders of the two ministries, while seeking new areas for cooperation that fit the demand and capacity of each side.
For his part, Lieut. Gen. Ueda appreciates the position and role of Vietnam as well as the Vietnam-Japan defence relations. He hailed Vietnam’s preparations and coordination between the two sides in organizing the CEPPP, expressing his belief that the programme will be a success, contributing to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world.
He said that after withdrawing the engineer unit from the UN Peacekeeping Mission in the Central African Republic (UNMISS), this is the first time since that Japan sent another large force to a UN peacekeeping activity. Therefore, the Japanese side paid special attention to successfully coordinate with the Vietnamese Defence Ministry to implement the CEPPP, he stated.
The CEPPP aims to affirm the role and responsibility of Vietnam and Japan in multilateral and bilateral cooperation mechanisms regarding UN peacekeeping within the framework of the ADMM . This serves to enhance the UN peacekeeping performance of ADMM member states.
This is also a chance for ADMM member countries to improve their capacity in coordinating with each other in preparing and deploying forces for UN peacekeeping operations, while contributing to fostering the friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and ADMM members in this field./.
VNA
