August 28, 2017
Good Morning Sr. Lt. General Nguyen Chi Vinh,
Sr. Col. Hoang Kim Phung and the staff of the Vietnam Peacekeeping Center,
Senior leaders of the Vietnam Peoples Army and Ministry of Defense Functional Agencies,
Our partners from the United States and United States Military,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Today, we celebrate the dedication of the Vietnam Peacekeeping Center’s new Training and Auditorium S5 building.
This building not only symbolizes the strength of the U.S – Vietnam partnership, but also Vietnam’s contributions to international peace and stability; something that all nations should strive to follow in our increasingly complicated and multipolar world.
Vietnam’s participation in United Nations global peacekeeping efforts demonstrates its willingness to bring peace and prosperity to those in need.
Vietnam sent its first peacekeepers to South Sudan in 2014 and has since sent more than a dozen peacekeepers to South Sudan and Central African Republic.
And, the Vietnam Peacekeeping Center’s team members, many of whom deployed on these initial missions, are now developing the next generation of peacekeeping units.
In 2015, we signed the U.S. – Vietnam Peacekeeping Memorandum of Understanding, which accelerated cooperation in training, technical assistance, equipment and infrastructure support, laying the foundation for this important cooperation.
Today marks the completion of a project that began in 2016, funded by the United States Pacific Command through the Global Peacekeeping Operations Initiative, and administered by the U.S. Navy Facilities Engineering Command.
This Training and Auditorum Building and the deployable Level 2 Field Hospital are testaments to our mutual desire to enhance peacekeeping.
The Vietnam Peacekeeping Center and Medical Hospital-175 in Ho Chi Minh City are scheduled to deploy their field hospital next year to work in South Sudan.
This will be Vietnam’s first unit-sized international deployment, and I am confident that Vietnam will achieve nothing less than success as it faces global challenges head-on.
Humanity faces many serious challenges around the globe, and Vietnam is becoming a vital contributor to global peace and stability.
A strong, prosperous and independent Vietnam, respecting international rule of law, will be more confident, more active, and more influential in helping the international community solve its greatest challenges.
The United States and the international community stand firmly behind Vietnam, and we will continue to provide support to bolster Vietnam’s peacekeeping capability.
Congratulations to the Vietnam Peacekeeping Center.
We look forward to your progress as you continue your journey as a major contributor towards stabilizing international systems and international law.
Thank You.
