At the meeting, Gen. Chien affirmed that Vietnam considers the U.S. one of its important partners and wishes to further enhance bilateral cooperation on the basis of equality, mutual benefit, and respect for international law, each other’s independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and political system. These would contribute to maintaining regional and global peace, security, stability, and development.
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Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien (right) talks to Director of the U.S. Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency Kelly McKeague. |
The Vietnamese defense leader emphasized that the effective cooperation between the two ministries in recent years has positively contributed to the Vietnam-U.S. relations.
He also underscored that collaboration in searching for U.S. personnel missing in action (MIA) from the war and overcoming war consequences in Vietnam plays a foundational and vital role in bilateral defense ties. Guided by the policy of “putting the past behind, looking toward the future,” the collaborative efforts between the two defense ministries in this field demonstrate a deeply humanitarian spirit, helping to heal the wounds of war, build strategic trust, and make the Vietnam-U.S. relations become a model of international cooperation.
The host affirmed that the Party, Government, and Ministry of National Defense (MND) of Vietnam have always created the most favorable conditions for MIA-related activities. Since 2023, the two sides have jointly conducted eight joint search missions and organized eight ceremonies to hand over remains and belongings of U.S. service members missing from the war, underscoring the determination and joint efforts of both nations in MIA operations. Vietnam’s MND pledges to continue its close cooperation with the U.S. in this field and proposes that the U.S. further strengthen its personnel participation and support for Vietnam’s unilateral search teams.
Gen. Chien also expressed Vietnam’s desire to continue receiving information and documents related to Vietnamese soldiers who died or went missing during the war; and the country’s hope to receive U.S. assistance in enhancing DNA testing capabilities for the identification of war martyrs. He asked McKeague to advocate within the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Government for continued cooperation in war legacy settlement in Vietnam.
For his part, Kelly McKeague expressed his appreciation for the positive outcomes and development of Vietnam-U.S. relations since the inception of MIA cooperation. He highly appreciated Vietnam’s professionalism, dedication, and support in these efforts. He expressed confidence that with the great efforts and strong commitment from both sides, Vietnam and the U.S. would achieve more successes in addressing war legacies, helping to ease the pain of war, and further strengthening the relations between the two countries and the two defense ministries.
Translated by Song Anh