Deputy Minister of Defence Nguyen Chi Vinh hosted a reception for Counsellor of the United State (US) Department of the State Thomas Shannon in Hanoi on February 5.

Speaking at the reception, the Deputy Minister expressed his delight with the development of the Vietnam-US relation and cooperation in recent years.

Senior Lieutenant General Vinh welcomed the US’s move to partially lift arms embargo against Vietnam and hoped for its full lifting in the near future.

He also spoke of fresh progresses in bilateral cooperation in maritime security, wartime consequence settlement, military medicine, training, search and rescue, humanitarian aid and United Nations peacekeeping activities.

Furthermore, the Vietnamese officer believed Shannon will play a role in the organisation of activities celebrating the 20 th anniversary of Vietnam-US diplomatic ties, further deepening the bilateral relationship.

On his part, Shannon thanked the host for the warm welcome, affirming that 2015 will be a big year for both countries to promote their relations.

The US wished for closer defence cooperation with Vietnam, notably in visit exchanges, dealing with war aftermath, army healthcare, training, search and rescue, humanitarian aid and United Nations peacekeeping.

VNA