Deputies at the 14th National Assembly on October 24 gave opinions on a draft resolution on Vietnam’s engagement in UN peacekeeping operations, as part of the ongoing NA’s 10th session.

Defence Minister Ngo Xuan Lich addresses the session (Photo: VNA)

According to Defence Minister Ngo Xuan Lich, since 2014, Vietnam has sent 172 officers and staff from the Ministry of Defence to UN peacekeeping missions in 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 sent about 320 sappers under the Vietnam People’s Army to UN peacekeeping operations.

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

In terms of finance, Vietnam has received over 4.8 million USD from the UN and more than 20 million USD from international community for the work, which has helped 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 UN peacekeeping missions in the 2014-2020 period, the Government is directing the Public Security Ministry to train officers and work with the UN agencies on the work.

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

Minister Lich noted that the 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 to build and issue a 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 Vietnam is a signatory.

The draft resolution comprises six chapters and 17 articles.

At the session, deputies listened to a report verifying the draft resolution delivered by NA Committee for Defence-Security Vo Trong Viet, which shows that 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 the 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 the deputies also concurred to propose the NA to pass the draft resolution during the 10th session.

Defence Minister Ngo Xuan Lich also answered questions raised by deputies on the draft resolution at the session.