The statement was made by General Phan Van Giang, Politburo member, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense, during a meeting with U.S. Ambassador to Viet Nam Jennifer Wicks McNamara at the Ministry of National Defense headquarters on November 3.
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General Phan Van Giang receives the U.S. Ambassador to Viet Nam. |
During the meeting, General Phan Van Giang welcomed the U.S. diplomat and wished her a successful tenure in Viet Nam. He reaffirmed that Viet Nam attaches importance to and prioritizes cooperation with the U.S. in war legacy settlement. He welcomed the signing of two Letters of Special Partnership Agreement (LSPA) for the Bien Hoa Airport dioxin remediation project and a project to improve the quality of life of people with disabilities in provinces heavily affected by Agent Orange. The projects aim to eliminate dioxin contamination in the affected areas by 2031, helping provide a safe living environment for local communities.
Viet Nam will continue to facilitate U.S. efforts to search for personnel missing in action (MIA) during the war and hopes the U.S. will share more information, documents, and personal effects related to Vietnamese soldiers. General Phan Van Giang also appreciated Ambassador McNamara's participation in a recent scientific workshop on strengthening DNA testing capabilities to identify fallen Vietnamese soldiers' remains. He noted that the two sides had also exchanged information and war memorabilia during his recent meeting with the U.S. Secretary of War on the sidelines of the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting-Plus (ADMM+) in the Philippines.
General Phan Van Giang expressed confidence that, with the Ambassador's support, bilateral defense cooperation would continue to develop effectively, contributing to peace, stability, and development in the region and the world.
He also announced that Viet Nam would host its third Defense Expo in Hanoi this December, welcoming senior U.S. Department of War officials and American defense companies to attend and showcase modern equipment.
Ambassador McNamara praised the close ties between the U.S. diplomatic mission and Viet Nam's Ministry of National Defense. She said priorities during her tenure would include promoting economic and trade relations, expanding defense and security cooperation, and strengthening people-to-people exchanges.
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An overview of the meeting |
She expressed the desire of the U.S. to deepen cooperation in areas of mutual interest, particularly defense and security, the defense industry, and war legacy settlement, in line with the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries.
The Ambassador thanked General Phan Van Giang for his efforts to advance cooperation in addressing war legacy and searching for U.S. personnel missing in action. She reaffirmed U.S. support for Viet Nam's "500 Days Campaign to Accelerate the Search, Recovery, and Identification of Fallen Soldiers' Remains."
She also confirmed that U.S. companies would participate in the Viet Nam Defense Expo in Hanoi this December.
Translated by Tran Hoai