1. I thank Ms. Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Iraq and Head of UNAMI, for her comprehensive briefing.
I welcome the representative of Iraq to our meeting today.
Mr. President,
2. We commend the efforts made by the Iraqi Government in preparing for the upcoming October elections. Viet Nam joins the international community in supporting the Iraqi people to hold free and fair elections.
We appreciate UNAMI and international organisations and partners for their strong commitment to assisting Iraq in the elections, as well as in tackling the multiple challenges facing the country. We welcome all delegations of international observers deployed to Iraq at the invitation of the host country.
We stress the need to ensure security for the electoral process. Violence and threats against candidates and those engaged in the elections may jeopardise the credibility and legitimacy of any institutions to be formed by the vote. Therefore, we call upon all the relevant parties in Iraq to take steps to duly tackle the security concerns in the lead-up to the elections.
3. We are encouraged by the efforts made by the Iraqi Government in reaching out to regional and international partners who can help the country move forward on all fronts. We support the strengthening of cooperation between Iraq and regional countries in dealing with common challenges.
At the same time, the regional and international partners should support promoting security and stability in Iraq through cooperation and dialogue. Trans-border threats should be addressed with full respect for the territorial sovereignty of the countries concerned.
4. Turning to humanitarian issues, we welcome progress in returning IDPs and continue to call upon the relevant Iraqi authorities and international partners to strengthen their efforts to ensure the safe, voluntary, dignified and sustainable return or settlement of IDPs, and to avoid a crisis of secondary displacement.
We also take note of the reported limitations and obstacles to accessing humanitarian aid in Iraq. We call upon the relevant authorities to tackle this issue and ensure the safety of international and local aid workers. Last week marked the 18th anniversary of the bombing of the UN headquarters in Baghdad, which killed 22 humanitarian workers.
We take this opportunity to call upon the Iraqi Government and all governments around the world to spare no effort in protecting aid workers from violence and threats.
Mr. President,
5. We commend the strengthened cooperation between the governments of Iraq and Kuwait in the search for missing Kuwaiti and third-country nationals and the return of Kuwaiti property.
We welcome the recent DNA identification of missing Kuwaiti citizens. The continued efforts and commitments made by the Government of Iraq in this regard are very encouraging.
At the same time, we value the assistance of UNAMI and the International Committee of the Red Cross for national authorities to implement their obligations in accordance with Resolution 2107.
6. Finally, we would like to reaffirm Viet Nam's support for UNAMI and UN agencies in assisting Iraq to maintain stability and security as well as to provide humanitarian assistance to people affected by conflict, poverty and the COVID-19 pandemic.
I thank you, Mr. President./.