US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo

This will be Pompeo’s first trip to Việt Nam, and also to Southeast Asia, after taking office as Secretary of State, said Ngo Toan Thang, vice spokesperson of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs at a regular press conference in Hanoi on July 5.

The visit, to be made at the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh, takes place at a time when the comprehensive partnership between Vietnamand the US has thrived in numerous fields, including trade and economy, with bilateral trade hitting US$51 billion in 2017.

The two sides are expected to exchange views on regional and international issues of mutual concern, Thang said, adding the US Secretary of State is scheduled to hold talks with his host and meet other Vietnamese leaders.

At the event, Thang also announced that Algeria’s Foreign Minister Abdelkader Messahel will visit Vietnamon July 13-14 at the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Minh.

This is the first visit to Vietnamby Abdelkader Messahel as Foreign Minister of Algeria, Thắng added.

He said the traditional friendship and co-operation between Vietnamand Algeria has seen positive strides over the past few years.

The Algerian FM’s visit is intended to step up the bilateral collaborative ties in various fields, especially trade, investment, oil and gas, and labour.

The two countries have succeeded in implementing the outcomes gained at the 11th meeting of the Việt Nam-Algeria inter-governmental committee in November 2017, where they discussed some regional and international issues of mutual concern.

Abdelkader Messahel is scheduled to hold talks with Deputy PM and FM Minh, meet Vietnamese leaders, and work with some Vietnamese ministries and departments, according to Thang.

VNS