General Nguyen Tan Cuong: Do not send peacekeeping forces to war zones

General Nguyen Tan Cuong - Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army, Deputy Minister of National Defense - said that Vietnam implements the "4 no's" defense policy, so it does not send peacekeeping forces to participate in combat zones.

This afternoon (May 15), the National Assembly discussed the draft Law on Participation in United Nations Peacekeeping Forces.

General Nguyen Tan Cuong - Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army, Deputy Minister of National Defense - said that since 2014, Vietnam has sent 1,083 officers and staff to participate in peacekeeping forces. Of these, the Ministry of National Defense sent 1,067 soldiers (including 6 trips to level 2 field hospitals and 3 engineering teams; 137 trips as individuals).

Vietnam's female participation rate is over 16%, higher than other countries (6-7%). Although the United Nations does not have specific regulations, it encourages countries to increase the female rate.

"The most impressive thing is that despite the difficult medical conditions, the doctors and nurses successfully treated two pregnant women. Here, individual decisions must be quick, secondly, the collective will must be present, and there must also be qualifications and capacity. It was thought that these two cases would not survive, but the hospital successfully treated them," shared General Nguyen Tan Cuong.

General Nguyen Tan Cuong speaking this afternoon. Photo: Hoang Ha

In addition to professional duties, according to General Nguyen Tan Cuong, officers and soldiers also participate in social activities to promote the image of the country, culture and people of Vietnam.

"The local people were very excited when they saw the Vietnamese peacekeeping team there, singing songs about Vietnam, Uncle Ho..., very emotional" - Deputy Minister of Defense shared.

The officers and soldiers overcame difficulties and successfully completed their assigned tasks. The United Nations and the international community highly appreciated this.

"At first, we did not have much experience in the deployment, but from 2018 until now, we have completed the tasks very well. The Deputy Secretary-General and the Military Advisor to the Secretary-General of the United Nations sent a letter of thanks to the Vietnamese Government for the level-two field hospital," the General informed. The Engineering Team was also highly appreciated by the mission leaders for changing the appearance of the mission.

Vietnam has four military officers and two police officers who have been recruited to work for the United Nations agency. After their terms of office end, they will be offered continued employment. General Nguyen Tan Cuong said that normally, to apply for these positions, one must take an exam according to the United Nations' criteria.

Vietnam peacekeeping force departs for mission. Photo: Pham Hai

The leaders of the Ministry of National Defense assessed that although the participating forces were not large, it could be affirmed that through this mission, Vietnam's position and prestige were enhanced in the international arena; contributing to making countries trust Vietnam more; successfully carrying out the task of building and protecting the Fatherland.

Vietnam has received support from China, the UK, France, the US, Australia... in training officers to participate in UN peacekeeping. Up to now, Vietnam has mastered the training work.

Regarding the regime and policies, General Nguyen Tan Cuong said that the salaries of officers and soldiers are paid directly by the United Nations into their personal accounts. Every month, the United Nations will send forces to check how many vehicles are participating in the operation to calculate depreciation and labor, then calculate the money to pay to Vietnam.

However, according to General Nguyen Tan Cuong, the implementation of the mission also encountered many difficulties. That is the complicated security situation with armed, ethnic and religious conflicts; harsh weather; complicated epidemics; difficult lives of local people..., which led to social evils, especially theft and robbery. Even our forces encountered some such cases but promptly handled them, ensuring safety. At the same time, the multicultural and ethnic working environment requires professionalism, independent work and high foreign language skills. The commander must be decisive.

Therefore, General Nguyen Tan Cuong emphasized the need for a Law on Participation in United Nations Peacekeeping Forces. The drafting agency proposed adding civilian forces to participate in peacekeeping forces for diversification.

"The draft law clearly stipulates what areas we participate in, the principles of participation... We implement the "4 no's" defense policy, so we do not send peacekeeping forces to participate in war zones..." - General Nguyen Tan Cuong emphasized.

The General also noted that anything that is not prohibited and does not belong to national or military secrets can be disseminated.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/dai-tuong-nguyen-tan-cuong-khong-cu-luc-luong-gin-giu-hoa-binh-den-noi-co-tham-chien-2401453.html