During the event, General Chien affirmed that Vietnam always considers the U.S. one of the leading partners in foreign policy, hoping to promote the relations with the U.S. on the basis of respect for each other’s independence, sovereignty and political systems, for mutual interests, peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world.

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Deputy Defense Minister Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien receiving U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel J. Kritenbrink

Meanwhile, the Vietnamese deputy defense minister thanked the U.S. for its support to Vietnam during the COVID-19 combat. He underscored that the Vietnam-U.S. defense cooperation over the past time has been implemented according to the Memorandum of Understanding on Promoting Defense Cooperation signed in 2011 and Joint Vision Statement on Defense Relations signed in 2015, and directives of the two countries’ leaders and defense ministries, with remarkable achievements.

On this occasion, General Chien expressed his hope that the U.S. would continue to help Vietnam implement the defense cooperation in the coming time, with the focus on overcoming war aftermath.

For his part, Mr. Daniel Kritenbrink affirmed that the cooperation in overcoming war aftermath plays an important part in the bilateral relations, hailing cooperation contents between the two sides, including dioxin contaminated land remediation, bomb and mine clearance, supporting Vietnamese people with disabilities. He believed that the bilateral defense cooperation will reach more fruitful outcomes in the time to come.

Translated by Chung Anh