Ambassador Le Luong Minh, head of the Vietnamese mission to the UN, made the statement at a recent meeting to step up cooperation between the UN and regional organisations in fostering international peace, security and development.

As Vietnam has recently taken over the chair of ASEAN, Ambassador Minh confirmed that the ASEAN Political-Security Community (APSC) will actively contribute to promoting peace and security in the wider Asia-Pacific region.

The APSC will spare no effort to enhance peace and security through effective resolution mechanisms and peacekeeping activities, he said.

According to the Vietnamese diplomat, ASEAN has been granted observer status in the UN General Assembly and the two organisations have already signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation which provides an important framework to further enhance ASEAN-UN relations as well as allowing ASEAN to make a greater contribution to the UN for the sake of peace, stability and development around the world.

Speaking on behalf of Vietnam and other ASEAN members, Ambassador Minh suggested that cooperation in maintaining international peace and security should make full use of previous experiences, in accordance with the UN Charter and the statutes of regional organisations.

He called on international organisations, including UN agencies, to support and get involved in regional initiatives.