On June 1, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and State President Truong Tan Sang welcomed US Secretary of Defence Ashton Carter in Hanoi.
Meeting with the US official, the Party chief reiterated the Vietnamese Party and State’s unwavering policy of respecting ties with the US and acknowledged efforts made by the US government, Congress, independent organizations and people in dealing with the war aftermaths in Vietnam.
He applauded the cooperation between the Vietnam Defence Ministry and the US Defence Department in mine and bomb clearance, detoxification of the environment, humanitarian assistance and searching for soldiers missing in action.
Secretary Carter affirmed his nation's readiness to enhance multifaceted cooperation with Vietnam and agreed on the need to increase delegation exchanges. He stressed the importance of Party leader Nguyen Phu Trong’s upcoming visit to the US and confirmed the US’s support for settling disputes in the East Sea through diplomatic efforts with respect to international law.
Both host and guest also discussed regional and global issues of mutual concern.
At a reception for the US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter the same day, President Truong Tan Sang said the Vietnam-US Joint Vision Statement lays a firm foundation for other bilateral cooperation agreements on this regard to become more practical.
Sang urged the two countries to soon conclude the negotiation on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement, and work further to completely lift the US sanctions on lethal weapons against Vietnam. Sang said Vietnam would continue to cooperate with the US in the search for US soldiers missing in action, mine and bomb clearance, and detoxification of Agent Orange/dioxin in Da Nang and Bien Hoa.
He asked the US to further assist Vietnam in improving the capacity of Vietnam’s maritime law enforcement force. He asked Secretary Carter to extend his invitation to visit Vietnam to President Barak Obama on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of diplomatic ties.
Regarding the East Sea issue, President Sang reiterated Vietnam’s stance on pursuing a policy of building a prosperous, independent, and self-reliant country and cooperating with other countries on the basis of solidarity and friendship.
Sang said Vietnam vehemently opposes activities that change the status quo in the East Sea and violate international law. He praised other countries for supporting Vietnam and ASEAN's stance in settling disputes in the East Sea.
Secretary Carter said Vietnam and the US shared the same view on peace, security and safety of navigation in the East Sea and urged the two nations to bolster cooperation in this regard.
