Vietnamese Ambassador to the US Pham Quang Vinh also joined the Vietnamese delegation at the dialogue.
At the meeting, the two sides updated each other on security challenges in the Asia-Pacific region and discussed spheres of cooperation to boost the bilateral defense ties to be on a par with the Vietnam-US comprehensive partnership.
The two sides also exchanged views on global and regional issues of mutual concern, evaluated the results of bilateral cooperation in 2017 and decided orientations for bilateral cooperation in 2018 and the following years in accordance to the Memorandum of Understanding on Advancing Bilateral Defense Cooperation signed by the two sides in 2011, the 2015 Vietnam-US Joint Vision Statement on Defense Relations and other agreements between the two defense ministers signed during the official visit to the US by Vietnamese Defense Minister, General Ngo Xuan Lich, in August 2017.
Speaking at the meeting, Gen. Vinh informed the US side of the establishment of the Vietnam Peacekeeping Center in Hanoi, saying that there is much room for the two sides to boost bilateral cooperation on military medicine, especially when Vietnam is preparing for the deployment of a level-2 field hospital to a UN peacekeeping mission.
Gen. Vinh highly valued the bilateral cooperation in providing information about, searching for and collecting remains of servicemen missing in action (MIA) of both sides over the past years. He considered this field of cooperation a bright spot in the Vietnam-US defense relations. He affirmed that the Vietnamese military has sufficient abilities and capabilities to support the US side in searching for MIA effectively.
Regarding Vietnam’s efforts to clear unexploded ordnance left by the war, Gen. Vinh requested the US Defense Department to continue supporting the deals signed between the two sides in this field, encouraging and mobilizing international organizations to participate in clearing unexploded ordnance (UXO) and providing assistance for UXO victims in the country.
Gen. Vinh and Dr. Joseph Felter
Gen. Vinh said that, with the US assistance, the dioxin-detoxification project in Da Nang airport has been completed and with a higher degree of success than anticipated. The Vietnamese side is planning to hold a ceremony to announce the closure of the project in Da Nang early next month when the APEC CEO Summit will take place with the participation of APEC member economies’ leaders, including President Donald Trump. According to the Vietnamese deputy-defense minister, Vietnam also has a plan to hold an international seminar to summarize the experience and results of the project with the participation of international scientists as well as officials of the two sides.
Gen. Vinh expressed his hope that the US side would continue to be committed to a larger-scale dioxin-detoxification project in Bien Hoa airport, so as to return the land to local people free of toxins and as a safe living environment. He said, “This project should be seen as a humanitarian operation, contributing to Vietnam’s socio-economic development and strengthening Vietnam-US relations”.
For his part, Dr. Felter affirmed that the US side acknowledged and completely agreed with Vietnam’s ideas on promoting cooperation in such fields as coast guard, military medicine, UN peacekeeping and dioxin detoxification.
He suggested that Vietnam should continue to participate in bilateral and multilateral forums to better prepare for its ASEAN Chairmanship in 2020.
At the meeting, Deputy-Assistant Director of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency under the US Defense Department, Fern Sumpter Winbush, highly appreciated and thanked Vietnam for its support and assistance in searching for US servicemen missing in action. She also expressed gratitude to Vietnamese Defense Minister, General Ngo Xuan Lich as the Vietnamese defense minister handed over two dossiers with high reliability on US servicemen missing in action.
At the end of the Vietnam-US Defense Policy Dialogue 2017, Gen. Vinh and Dr. Felter witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding on bilateral cooperation between the Defense Strategy Institute of Vietnam and the US International Pacific Research Center based in Hawaii.
On the occasion, Gen. Vinh, on behalf of the Vietnamese Defense Ministry, handed over two dossiers on US servicemen to the US side at the meeting in the hope of facilitating the US search operation for US servicemen missing in action during the war. Dr. Felter expressed his thanks for Vietnam’s goodwill gesture, and handed over belongings of a fallen Vietnamese soldier to Gen. Vinh with a wish that the belongings of the Vietnamese martyr be returned to his family.
Reported by Van Yen from Washington D.C.
Translated by Thu Nguyen