South Sudan: See-off ceremony held for L2FH Rotation 5 and Engineering Company Rotation 2

Chairing the event was Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Tan Cuong, Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army and Deputy Defense Minister.

Over the past time, the Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations (VNDPKO), Military Hospital 175 and relevant agencies and units have provided training in politics, military, logistics, techniques, medical expertise, U.N. peacekeeping knowledge for the personnel of L2FH Rotation 5. The training was closely related to reality and duties at U.N. missions.

Meanwhile, members of Engineering Company Rotation 2 underwent training courses to improve their professional skills, command of English language, and other necessary knowledge related to communications, medicine, logistics assurance and technical services.

To date, all members of the two units are ready to undertake peacekeeping tasks.

Addressing the event, President Vo Van Thuong stressed that the Party and State always trust and are proud of Vietnamese peacekeepers’ achievements gained over the past time. He believed that the two units will promote their predecessors’ attainments, and their wisdom and capabilities to complete the noble missions assigned by the Party, State, military, and people, meet the U.N.’s requirements, and deserve to be Uncle Ho’s soldiers.

The state leader asked the Central Military Commission (CMC), Ministry of National Defense (MND), Vietnamese peacekeeping force, while engaging in U.N. peacekeeping operations, to strictly embrace the Party’s policies, the State’s laws, especially foreign and international integration policies, protect national interests, work in line with U.N. Charter and international laws to which Vietnam is a member.

He urged the CMC, MND to direct the effective implementation of the general project on Vietnam’s participation in U.N. peacekeeping operations and the National Assembly’s Resolution No.130 on the work. The CMC and MND were requested to further give suggestions to the Party and State to complete legal documents on Vietnam’s engagement in U.N. peacekeeping operations and expand the Vietnamese peacekeeping force in fields of strength such as military police, communications, and helicopter transport and positions, command and management posts at U.N. headquarters, as well as Vietnamese peacekeepers’ presence in other U.N. missions. He also noted the guarantee of sustainable human resources, and increase in the number of female peacekeepers.

For the Vietnamese ‘blue berets,’ they should make good preparations in terms of professional expertise, foreign language proficiency, soft skills, survival skills while promoting pro-activeness, creativeness, self-reliance, adaptive spirit in carrying out duties at U.N. missions according to the U.N.’s “Action for peace” initiative. In addition, they should pro-actively and actively cooperate with foreign peers and partners in a practical and effective fashion to improve their capacity, learn experience, mobilize support resources to help them effectively participate in regional and international cooperation mechanisms on U.N. peacekeeping operations, making practical contribution to peace and security in the region and the world, raising Vietnam’s status, and affirming a responsible Vietnam and peace-loving Vietnamese people.

The State leader wished Vietnamese peacekeepers success and deserving to be “ambassadors of peace and friendship.”

Assigning tasks to the two units, Sr. Lt. Gen. Nguyen Tan Cuong asked them to stay united, overcome all difficulties, promote the noble virtues of Uncle Ho’s soldiers, leave good impressions on international friends and people of the host country.

On behalf of the Vietnamese peacekeepers, Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Ha Ngoc, Director of L2FH Rotation 5, promised that the units will promote internal and international solidarity, improve expertise, support each other to surmount all difficulties and excellently fulfill the assigned duties with absolute safety.

At the see-off ceremony, President Vo Van Thuong handed over the decisions to send L2FH Rotation 5 and Engineering Company Rotation 2 to the U.N. Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and the U.N. Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA).

He also presented national flags and gifts to the personnel of the two units.

Translated by Mai Huong