Hanoi (VNA) – That Vietnam is the onlycandidate of Asian-Pacific nations for a non-permanent seat at the UN SecurityCouncil for the 2020-2021 term offers a great opportunity for the country tomake active contributions to the world’s peace and security, including the UN’swork, a former high-ranking diplomat has said

In a recent interview granted to the VietnamNews Agency, former Deputy Foreign Minister Pham Quang Vinh said the early nominationproves that Asian-Pacific countries highly value the role of Vietnam andbelieve that the Southeast Asian country could accomplish this rolesuccessfully thanks to its development, international position, and globalintegration over the past time.

Since the world is witnessing complicateddevelopments, countries in the region also expect Vietnam to make activecontributions to the common work of the world community, including that of theUN Security Council, he said, expressing his confidence that Vietnam will winthe seat with high votes at the upcoming 73rd session of the UN GeneralAssembly on June 7.

Vietnam did a good job in this position for thefirst time 10 years ago (2008-2009) after three decades of joining the UN since1977, he said.

The country has made progresses from overcomingwar consequences and breaking embargoes to reforming, integrating, and participatingactively in activities of the UN agencies, Vinh added.

The past decade is considered the mostimpressive development period of Vietnam in all fields, especially economy,reform, and global integration, he said, noting that Vietnam has sent many officersto the UN peacekeeping forces.

At the UN, Vietnam is highly appreciated for itsaspiration for peace and development, foreign policies, and responsible andconstructive contributions as well as its experience in war consequencessettlement, poverty reduction and implementation of the Millennium DevelopmentGoals and Sustainable Development Goals along with the expansion of relationswith countries, he said.

The former official held that if Vietnam iselected, its first and foremost responsibilities will be contributing toensuring international peace and security and promoting cooperation amongcountries for sustainable peace in different regions.

The country will have to prepare a lot and learnfrom experiences in the previous tenure, particularly grasping the latestdevelopments in the region and the world, standing ready to present its viewpointsat the UN Security Council and with other nations, and paying special attentionto personnel arrangement, he added.-VNA