VOV.VN - Vietnam will augment defence cooperation in the United Nations peacekeeping operations in the time ahead, said Deputy Minister of Defence Sen. Lieut. Gen. Nguyen Chi Vinh at a conference reviewing five years of Vietnam’s participation in UN peacekeeping operations (2014-2019 in Hanoi on June 7.

2014 marked Vietnam’s participation the UN’s peacekeeping missions by the inception of the Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations of the Ministry of Defence and dispatch of the first two officers to the UN Peacekeeping Mission in South Sudan.

After five years, Vietnam deployed 30 turns of officers to the UN’s two peacekeeping missions in South Sudan and Central African Republic to work as liaison officers, military observers and staff officers.

The country deployed the first level-2 field hospital with the 63-member staff to South Sudan, and is preparing for the deployment of the second level-2 field hospital and a sapper company soon, Vinh said.

As a new participant in the UN peacekeeping activities, stepping up cooperation with other nations and organizations having a wealth of experience in the work will enable Vietnam to learn their experience and access new military advances to improve capacity building of its peacekeepers, he noted.

Vietnam will go ahead with its peacekeeping operations with better quality and look to send its officers to work as staff officers to UN missions and UN agencies in New York, Vinh saying, adding that it will help Vietnam have a stronger voice in the international community.

According to the Ministry of Defence, the nation’s peacekeeping activities are destined for expansion after 2020, including the deployment of officers to more UN missions in addition to those in South Sudan and the Central African Republic.

The country will prepare personnel to run for posts in UN agencies or international organizations at the UN Mission.

Apart from staying ready to deploy a sapper company from 2020, Vietnam will consider the deployment of other forces, such as guards and air transport (helicopter) in line with its capacity.