Deputy Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung (centre) receives congratulations from other countries' diplomats after Vietnam was elected a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for 2020-2021 on June 7 (Photo: Xinhua/VNA)

Vietnam won 192 votes out of the 193 member countries and territories of the UN General Assembly late Friday (Vietnam time).

Vietnam was a non-permanent member of the UNSC in the 2008-2009 term and President of the UNSC during this period.  

In a message sent to Vietnamese people and international friends, Party General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong thanked UN members for electing Vietnam to the UNSC for the second time, describing it as the world community’s  acknowledgement of Vietnam’s position and contributions to global and regional affairs and the rising stature of Vietnam worldwide.

Mr. Trong said non-permanent membership of the UNSC is a great honor and a heavy responsibility Vietnam has to make its best efforts to undertake. Vietnam will continue to consistently implement its foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralism, and diversification of foreign relations, and proactive international integration. Vietnam will be a reliable friend and responsible member of the international community and contribute actively to the joint efforts for peace, cooperation, and development, Party leader and President Trong said.  

Deputy Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung told a VOV correspondent in the US:  “Vietnam will have advantages as peace, cooperation, and development remains a trend. The country has gained more experience and pursued its foreign policy of peace, cooperation, development, multilateralism and diversification. Particularly, its viewpoints on major global issues and issues included the UN Security Council’s agenda have won support from other countries. After 10 years, our renewal achievements have been confirmed and our international integration has been acknowledged.”

Ambassador and Head of the Vietnam permanent delegation to the UN Dang Dinh Quy said Vietnam is well-prepared to fulfill tasks of a non-permanent member of the UNSC. Mr. Quy said:“Countries which have just concluded their non-permanent membership of the UNSC like Sweden, Ethiopia, and Kazakhstan are very cooperative with Vietnam. The Council’s member countries also work closely with Vietnam, especially Indonesia, an ASEAN member, who assumed the UNSC Presidency in May. In addition, the UN has trained staff of countries prepared to join the Council.  We will make greater effort to make full use of these mechanisms to accomplish tasks.”