NEW YORK — Việt Nam successfully fulfilled its commitments and responsibilities in the UN Security Council (UNSC) during the first year of its two-year term as a non-permanent member, Ambassador Đặng Đình Quý, head of the Vietnamese mission to the UN, has said.

In a recent interview with the Vietnam News Agency in New York, Quý said Việt Nam had made every effort to optimise the interests of the country at the global forum, protecting its security interests and development and improving its position and prestige.

He said along with the other countries who are non-permanent members (the E10 group), Việt Nam had always tried to act as a bridge to help the UNSC permanent members (P5 group), who had disagreed for a long time, to understand each other better and minimise deadlocks.

Việt Nam had worked with other countries in the E10 group to strengthen intra-group solidarity and the solidarity between the two groups, contributing to enhancing links, promoting information sharing and joint action, and improving mutual support in many issues, including how to respond to climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Notably, Việt Nam had been active in promoting the role and voice of ASEAN as well as of the E10 in 2020 – a special year when two ASEAN members, Việt Nam and Indonesia, are non-permanent members of the UNSC. The two ASEAN members had made nearly 20 joint speeches throughout the year on important issues, including those where it was difficult to find a common voice.

The diplomat said that for the first time, Việt Nam, as the ASEAN Chair this year, joined other ASEAN countries to submit a resolution on ASEAN-UN co-operation, with the largest number of co-sponsors ever, at up to 110 countries, to the UN General Assembly.

In 2021, Việt Nam would continue to promote issues relating to the E10 and ASEAN and would also promote co-operation between regional organisations and the UN, Quý said.

It would continue its efforts to enhance ASEAN’s role and image in the UNSC, especially in areas such as peacekeeping and efforts to prevent conflict and promote post-peace construction.

In April, Việt Nam would assume the rotating presidency of the UNSC for the second and also last time in its term. — VNS