hosted by the Defence Ministry, Sen. Lt. Gen. Nguyen Chi Vinh, Deputy Minister of Defence, on July 1 held phone talks with David F. Helvey, Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense of the US.

Deputy Defence Minister, Sen. Lt. Gen. Nguyen Chi Vinh.

Prior to the talks, Vinh hosted a reception for Daniel J. Kritenbrink, US Ambassador to Vietnam, who also joined the event.

During the talks, the two sides informed each other of the COVID-19 fight as well as the difficulties confronting them, thanked each other for their mutual assistance in the fight, and agreed to continue intensifying their cooperation in this field.

Vinh informed the US side of the activities in the channel of military – defence cooperation between the ASEAN countries and the partner countries which the US is one of the members, as well as on the ministerial-level meetings and other meetings organised by Vietnam.

The US side spoke highly of the adjustment of the agenda by Vietnam for the ASEAN Chairmanship year and said it always supports the activities of the ASEAN in general and Vietnam’s initiatives in particular.

On the bilateral ties, the two sides reviewed the results of their cooperation over the recent past, especially in the field of solving the war consequences. They agreed to, in the time to come, push the cooperation fields suitable to the common relationship, with priority given to the solution of the war consequences and the United Nations peacekeeping missions.

They also exchanged ideas on the regional and global situation of mutual concern and reached consensus that abiding by international law in settling disputes is an important measure that contributes to the trust building, peace, stability and common development of the region and the world as a whole.

Vietnam, US look to expand press cooperation

At the meeting (Photo: Nhandan.com.vn)

Member of the Party Central Committee (PCC) and deputy head of the PCC’s Commission for Communications and Education Thuan Huu hosted a reception for US Ambassador to Vietnam Daniel Kritenbrink in Hanoi on July 1.

During the meeting, Huu, who is also Editor-in-Chief of Nhan Dan (People) Newspaper and President of the Vietnam Journalists’ Association, and his guest expressed their delight at the fruitful and practical development of the Vietnam - US comprehensive partnership.

They discussed the prospects of press cooperation between the two countries, including strengthening exchange of working delegations and information sharing, especially when the two countries are organising various activities to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their diplomatic ties.

The Vietnamese official thanked the US Embassy in Vietnam for its contributions to promoting the bilateral relations, as well as cooperation in journalism and communications, including helping Nhan Dan Newspaper to get access to documents for the production of documentary series titled “Vietnam in Ho Chi Minh Era – A Television Chronicle”.

He expressed his hope that the embassy will continue to cooperate with the newspaper in further promoting the relationship between the two countries in the time to come.

For his part, Kritenbrink said he is impressed by Vietnam's efforts to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, adding that he is willing to share the country’s success story with US and world press agencies.

The US affirmed his wish to continue cooperating with Nhan Dan Newspaper and other Vietnamese press agencies, thus contributing to enhancing the mutual understanding between the two nations’ people and further fostering the Vietnam - US relations.

Seminar reviews 25 years of Vietnam-US relations

An international seminar was held in Hanoi on July 1 to look back on relations between Vietnam and the US during the last 25 years.

President of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences Bui Nhat Quang highlighted the great strides made in the bilateral relationship across a range of spheres, from diplomacy to economy and national defence to culture.

The two countries are pursuing a comprehensive partnership, with various high-level visits made in recent years, he said.

Two-way trade grew 15 percent annually over the last decade to stand at 75.6 billion USD in 2019, compared to 450 million USD when the two countries began to normalise diplomatic ties.

The US has worked hard to help Vietnam deal with the consequences of war and improve the capacity of its Coast Guard, while assisting the country’s international peace-keeping force, Quang said.

Vietnam, the US, and other countries have joined hands in maintaining freedom of navigation and implementing the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982 UNCLOS) in the East Sea, he went on.

He also emphasised the US’s support to Vietnam in response to climate change and rising sea levels, along with many medical programmes.

Major challenges are being faced by both Vietnam and the US, he continued, including traditional and non-traditional security issues, climate change, and natural disasters.

The two countries and others have had to make huge efforts to maintain peace and development, including in the Asia-Pacific, he said.

US Ambassador to Vietnam Daniel J. Kritenbrink acknowledged the presentation of masks by Vietnam to the US to fight COVID-19, the country’s participation in global medical activities, and its outstanding performance in containing the pandemic.

He also lauded Vietnam’s coordination in searching for US servicemen who died during the war, with 727 sets of remains found so far.

Achievements in the comprehensive partnership over the last 25 years have been extraordinary, he said, stressing that the US respects Vietnam’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity and backs its development and prosperity.

The US will continue to help Vietnam clean up unexploded ordnance from wartime and assist Vietnamese affected by Agent Orange/dioxin, he promised.

The US also wishes to complete an agreement on defence partnership and step up defence ties with Vietnam, helping the country receive T6 aircraft and Hamilton 2 cutters at the end of this year.

The ambassador said the US will also help Vietnam with socio-economic development and activities regarding regional peace and stability, while cooperating with other countries in the region to ensure energy security.

The US looks towards trade links that benefit both sides, he said, adding that the country will further promote bilateral trade ties instead of multilateral relations, he said.

Vietnamese Ambassador Pham Quang Vinh said comprehensive and strategic relations between Vietnam and the US should be advanced in the time ahead.

He suggested the countries review the bilateral trade agreement signed two decades ago, to make it suitable for advances in the relationship.VNA