VOV.VN - Vietnam is joining a field exercise on peacekeeping operations and humanitarian mine action that opened at the Indonesia Peace and Security Centre in Sentul city on September 16 within the framework of the experts’ working groups of the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) and the ADMM Plus.

The drill running until September 20, drew more than 500 personnel from the 10 ASEAN members and eight partner countries, namely the US, China, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, India, Russia, Australia and Japan.

The Vietnamese Defence Ministry team includes 33 officers and is divided into two groups. The group for the peacekeeping drill is led by Col. Nguyen Nhu Canh, Deputy Director of the Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations, and the other for the humanitarian mine action drill, by Col. Pham Huu Tuan, Deputy Chief of the engineering arm’s staff.

Col. Canh said this is the first time Vietnam has engaged in this exercise, and the participation has affirmed the country’s sense of responsibility towards common activities of ASEAN and the ADMM Plus.

Following Indonesia and Australia’s co-chairmanship of the ADMM Plus experts’ working group on peacekeeping operations, Vietnam and Japan will co-host the group for 2020-2023. 

The exercise is seen as a good chance for Vietnam to gain experience in launching multilateral peacekeeping drills to prepare for future events and It is also an occasion to improve relevant sides’ capacity in personnel training and forces for UN peacekeeping operations in the future, Canh said.