Deputy Minister of Public Security Pham The Tung visits Italy’s Centre of Excellence for Stability Police Units (CoESPU)
WVR/VNA - On October 26, in Vicenza (Italy), a delegation from the Ministry of Public Security of Vietnam, led by Lieutenant General Pham The Tung, Member of the Party Central Committee and Deputy Minister of Public Security, paid a working visit to the Centre of Excellence for Stability Police Units (CoESPU), part of the Italian Carabinieri. The delegation was welcomed and engaged in discussions with Brigadier General Andrea Paris, Commander of CoESPU.
Latest
 |
| Deputy Minister Pham The Tung discusses the potential for cooperation in training peacekeeping police forces between the two countries with Brigadier General Andrea Paris. (Source: Ministry of Public Security) |
Speaking at the meeting, Deputy Minister Pham The Tung affirmed that participating in United Nations (UN) peacekeeping operations is a consistent policy of Vietnam. For the Ministry of Public Security, this is both an important political task and an environment to train and enhance the professionalism of the force according to international standards.
Deputy Minister Pham The Tung expressed thanks for CoESPU's practical contributions in training and educating officers, including the first command officers of the Vietnamese peacekeeping police unit.
Since 2022, CoESPU has received and trained 70 Vietnamese officers in Vicenza on pre-deployment content for UN peacekeeping missions. In the 2024 cooperation activities, the Center will organize a command officer training course for 20 officers from the Vietnam Peacekeeping Police Unit 1 (VNFPU1) and a source instructor training course for 9 officers.
In June 2025, CoESPU will send trainers to the UN Peacekeeping Training and Capacity Development Center of the Ministry of Public Security to directly train 180 officers from VNFPU1 in combat operations. This activity marks a development in cooperation, from training in Italy to joint training on the field in Vietnam. Also in 2025, representatives from the Ministry of Public Security are invited to attend the annual seminar on Peacekeeping Police Units at CoESPU.
Based on the cooperation results so far and the requirement to build the Vietnamese peacekeeping police force, Deputy Minister Pham The Tung discussed cooperation content for the next phase, focusing on improving human resource quality, training capacity, and coordination mechanisms between the two sides.
For VNFPU1, Deputy Minister Pham The Tung hopes CoESPU will support enhancing command and advisory capabilities by sending a mobile training team to Vietnam in 2027; and continue training the next generation of command officers for rotating units and department-level managers.
A matter of interest for Vietnam is enhancing and standardizing the source instructor team, aiming to build a UN-recognized pre-deployment training program. Additionally, expanding specialized training for officers participating in peacekeeping activities individually, prioritizing female officers; advising on the construction and development of the UN Peacekeeping Training and Capacity Development Centre of the Ministry of Public Security.
 |
| Deputy Minister Pham The Tung and the delegation visit CoESPU's facilities and training grounds. (Source: Ministry of Public Security) |
Deputy Minister Pham The Tung also proposed organizing a Southeast Asia regional training course in Vietnam in 2028; establishing a coordination mechanism, and developing a cooperation plan for 2027-2029, aiming to sign a cooperation document between the two sides. These initiatives aim to develop regular, in-depth cooperation, contributing to building a professional Vietnamese peacekeeping police force ready to meet UN requirements.
Expressing delight at welcoming the high-level delegation from the Ministry of Public Security of Vietnam, Brigadier General Andrea Paris highly appreciated the determination and development of the Vietnamese peacekeeping police force. The achievement of VNFPU1 reaching Level 3 in the UN Peacekeeping Capability Readiness System (PCRS) in a short time is a commendable result, demonstrating the discipline and professionalism that CoESPU instructors have directly witnessed during training.
Brigadier General Andrea Paris affirmed that CoESPU considers Vietnam a potential partner in Southeast Asia, welcoming specific, roadmap-based cooperation proposals from the Ministry of Public Security. In principle, the Center supports sending a mobile training team to Vietnam in 2027, combined with a survey of the training facilities at the UN Peacekeeping Training and Capacity Development Center of the Ministry of Public Security. Specific content and timing will be discussed through focal points, in line with the plans and resources of the Italian Carabinieri.
Regarding training, CoESPU is ready to continue offering training slots for Vietnamese officers in command officer courses, advanced training, and specialized training, particularly encouraging the participation of female officers. The Center evaluates that the participation of Vietnamese instructors as assistant lecturers aligns with the direction of source instructor training, and is ready to share experiences to support the Ministry of Public Security in completing the pre-deployment training program.
 |
| Deputy Minister Pham The Tung signs the CoESPU guestbook. (Source: Ministry of Public Security) |
Regarding the proposal to organize a regional training course in Vietnam in 2028, Brigadier General Andrea Paris considers this a valuable idea, contributing to disseminating UN training standards to Southeast Asian countries; the two sides will continue to study its feasibility based on actual conditions.
The CoESPU Commander agreed with the coordination mechanism proposed by Vietnam, ready to collaborate in developing a cooperation plan for 2027-2029, and discuss the framework of cooperation documents suitable to each side's authority; while actively introducing and connecting Vietnam with international partners to mobilize resources for joint activities.
