Speaking at the UN Security Council meeting on the situation of the Great Lakes region in New York on November 9, Vietnam’s deputy representative to the UNSC, Ambassador Hoang Chi Trung, expressed his concern about the threats that armed groups posed to the stabilization of the DRC and the Great Lakes region.

The ambassador called for a more effective cooperation between the UN Mission in the DRC (MONUC) and the UN Missions in the sub-region, including the UN Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad (MINURCAT) and the UN Missions in Sudan (UNMIS) to ensure the effectiveness of the implementation of their mandate, especially in civilian protection.

The Vietnamese representative highlighted the contribution made by the Special Envoy of the UN Secretary General, Obasanjo, to expediting the implementation of the March 23 Agreements and the recent improvement in the DRC-Rwanda relations.

He said Vietnam supports a comprehensive approach to the Great Lakes region which attaches adequate importance to both security consolidation and socio-economic development.

“We hold that military measures alone are insufficient, and that only by promoting development in the area can the international community resolve the root cause of the conflicts in the Great Lakes region. In this connection, we reiterate our full support for the implementation of the UN Security and stabilization support strategy in the region,” said the Vietnamese diplomat.

VNA