State President congratulates Guterres on his re-appointment as UN chief
VGP – State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc congratulated Antonio Guterres upon his re-appointment as the United Nations Secretary-General, over the phone on June 19.
Guterres was nominated by his homeland, Portugal, and appointed by acclamation by the General Assembly, following prior endorsement by the UN Security Council, for a second term that runs from January 2022 to December 2026.
Both Nguyen and Guterres sides expressed their delight at the progress of the Viet Nam-UN relations. The former spoke highly of the latter’s contributions in his first five-year term, starting in January 2017, voicing his support for the UN chief’s priorities for the next five years.
As a responsible member of the UN, Viet Nam has made active contributions to the common work of the UN through serving as a non-permanent member of the UNSC, joining the UN-led peacekeeping operations, realizing UN-initiated Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), said Nguyen, adding that the Southeast Asian country is running for election to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in the 2023-2025 tenure.
Nguyen took the occasion to brief about Viet Nam’s current dual goal of COVID-19 containment and economic recovery, calling for the UN’s continued support for its vaccination campaign as well as policy recommendations for post-pandemic recovery.
Guterres highly valued Viet Nam’s socio-economic development achievements, especially in the COVID-19 fight.
He thanked Viet Nam for successful treatment for a UN staff member who was infected with COVID-19, which reflects the spirit of international solidarity in this pandemic time.
Regarding international and regional issues, both sides highlighted the importance of maintaining and promoting peace, stability, security, safety and freedom of navigation on the basis of international law, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982, as well as the centrla role of ASEAN in handling regional issues.
Earlier, the Vietnamese State leader sent a congratulatory letter to Guterres, expressing his belief that the UN chief, with his experience and prestige, will continue contributing to the settlement of global challenges./.
By Thuy Dung
