Vietnam will make efforts to enhance multilateralism and the compliance with international law when the country joins the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) as a non-permanent member in the 2020-2021 tenure, Vietnam’s Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh has stated.
Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh. Photo: Minh Tuan
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Vietnam, the only candidate of the Asia-Pacific region, won 192 votes, the highest-ever record, out of the 193 member countries and territories of the UN General Assembly on June 7 evening (Hanoi time). Vietnam will start to sit on the UNSC on January 1, 2020. This is the second time Vietnam won this election after the first for the 2008-2009 tenure.
“This is good news for us, indicating that other countries highly appreciate Vietnam’s status, role and prestige, and particularly our potential contributions to deal with world issues, as a UNSC non-permanent member,” he emphasized.
In addition, with its vast experiences, Vietnam expects to give a hand to the handling of post-conflict problems such as clearing unexploded ordnance or helping women and children during conflict. “Having undergone many decades of war, Vietnam considers those issues of great importance,” the top diplomat added.
“When in the UNSC, our goal is to build a peaceful and stable environment in the world and the region, as such we can also enjoy peaceful surroundings to develop our country,” Minh, who is also deputy prime minister, noted.
Consensus
Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh. Photo: Minh Tuan
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The members should avoid resolutions being disapproved or vetoed, a rejected resolution shows there are differences or even division in the UNSC. “It’s optimal that we coordinate with permanent and non-permanent members to reach the best consensus,” he noted.
Like any other members, Vietnam needs to state its stance on all the issues discussed at the UNSC. Thus Vietnam needs to investigate the arising issues thoroughly and make precise decisions, the minister said.
Dual role
Vietnam is due to take over the chairmanship of the ASEAN also in 2020, making it an “extremely busy year” for the country's diplomacy, Minh said.
However, with that dual role, Vietnam can make contributions to the UNSC as well as the ASEAN. “Vietnam will be in a better position to promote coordination between UN organs with regional bodies, specifically the UNSC and ASEAN,” Minh said.
