During the meeting, the Vietnamese deputy defense minister congratulated Ms. Ann Marie Yastishock and Colonel Thomas Stevenson on successfully fulfilling their term of office. He also highlighted the two officials’ active contribution to maintaining and developing the cooperative relations of the two countries in general and the two ministries of defense in particular.

Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien affirmed that Vietnam always prioritizes and attaches special attention to fostering cooperation with the U.S. in war legacy settlement.

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An overview of the reception 

Over the past time, the two sides have obtained significant outcomes, including the completion of the project on dioxin remediation at Da Nang Airport. The two sides have continued the project on dioxin remediation at Bien Hoa Airport, support programs for people with disabilities in areas severely affected by Agent Orange, and an information dissemination project on settlement of consequences of post-war UXO and toxic chemicals.

In addition, they have effectively carried out a memorandum of understanding on overcoming the consequences of landmines left from the war and a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in search and collection of remains of Vietnamese fallen soldiers.

Vietnam and the U.S. have also obtained positive outcomes in the bilateral defense cooperation in the fields of dialogue, consultation, delegation exchange, training, search and rescue, humanitarian, and U.N. peacekeeping operations.

For their part, Ms. Yastishock and Colonel Stevenson recalled their love for Vietnam and its people and the cooperation outcomes between the two countries over the past time, especially the coordination in combatting the COVID-19 pandemic. They pledged to continue supporting the development of the Vietnam – U.S. relationship.

Translated by Tran Hoai