At the meeting, General Phan Van Giang affirmed that Vietnam consistently regards the U.S. as one of its important partners, particularly in economics and trade. He expressed the wish that the two countries would further enhance cooperation on the basis of equality, mutual benefits, respect for international law, independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and political institutions, thereby contributing to the maintenance of security, peace, stability, and development in the region and the world.
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General Phan Van Giang (right) receives U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Michael George DeSombre. |
General Phan Van Giang noted that in recent years, bilateral defense cooperation has been implemented effectively across multiple areas, including exchanges of delegations at various levels, dialogues and consultations, post-war remediation, training, United Nations peacekeeping, cooperation between arms and services, border management, coast guard cooperation, and defense industry cooperation.
On this occasion, he thanked the U.S. for its support in addressing the consequences of war-left unexploded ordnance and toxic chemicals in Vietnam, as well as in the search, recovery, and verification of Vietnamese soldiers who were killed or missing in action.
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An overview of the meeting |
General Phan Van Giang proposed that in the coming time, both sides continue to promote cooperation in accordance with the agreements signed and consensus reached by the defense leaders of the two countries. Vietnam’s Ministry of National Defense will continue to attach importance to and prioritize war legacy settlement, and hopes that the U.S. will continue to realize its commitments to supporting Vietnam in this field, including the allocation of an additional USD 130 million package for the dioxin remediation project at Bien Hoa Airbase.
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General Phan Van Giang presents a gift to the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State. |
He emphasized that Vietnam will continue to closely coordinate and create the most favorable conditions for activities related to the search for U.S. personnel missing in action (MIA), while also expressing the hope that the U.S. will further share information, documents, and memorabilia related to Vietnamese soldiers killed or missing action.
General Phan Van Giang expressed his expectation that, in his important capacity, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State would continue to support the development of increasingly substantive and effective bilateral defense cooperation.
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General Phan Van Giang and the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State pose for a group photo with delegates from both sides. |
For his part, Assistant Secretary of State Michael George DeSombre thanked General Phan Van Giang for receiving the delegation and extended New Year greetings. He expressed his satisfaction with the positive development of the Vietnam–U.S. comprehensive strategic partnership for peace, cooperation, and sustainable development, including defense cooperation, and affirmed the U.S. Department of State’s support for Vietnam in addressing post-war consequences and identifying missing Vietnamese soldiers.
Translated by Trung Thanh