(Bqp.vn) - General Phan Van Giang, Vietnamese Defence Minister, held talks with U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin following an official welcome ceremony for him and the high-ranking delegation of the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence in Washington D.C. on September 9 (local time).
U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin receiving General Phan Van Giang.
Speaking at the talks, U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said that he highly valued the achievements in cooperation between Vietnam and the U.S. since the establishment of diplomatic relations. Upgrading the two countries’ bilateral relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership had provided a strong foundation for the future of Vietnam - U.S. ties, particularly in defence, he added.
During the talks.
He emphasized the importance of working together on war legacy settlement, confirming that the U.S. Department of Defence would continue to cooperate and support Vietnam in this area. He also expressed his thanks to the Vietnamese Government for fulfilling its commitment to help search for US servicemen listed as missing in action (MIA) during the war in Vietnam decades ago.
For his part, General Phan Van Giang said that Vietnam wished to develop cooperation with the U.S. based on the two sides’ legitimate interests, contributing to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world.
During the talks, the two defence ministers agreed that the bilateral defence cooperation have been promoted and gained practical outcomes in the fields of delegation exchanges, dialogue and consultation, war legacy settlement, searching for remains of U.S. soldiers missing in action (MIA), training, military medicine, U.N. peacekeeping operations, and humanitarian assistance/disaster relief.
Vietnam highly valued the support and commitment of the U.S. Government and people in addressing post-war consequences, notably through increased funding for dioxin (Agent Orange) remediation at Bien Hoa Airport, support for Vietnamese people affected by dioxin and providing evidence or records of Vietnamese soldiers who laid down their lives or went missing in the war. Vietnam had also closely cooperated with the U.S. to effectively carry out joint MIA search operations.
Vietnamese Defence Minister General Phan Van Giang and U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin signing the Updated Joint Vision Statement on Vietnam - U.S. bilateral defence relations.
Regarding cooperation orientations in the coming time, the two sides agreed to promote high-level exchanges and maintain existing dialogue and consultation mechanisms to strengthen mutual understanding and trust, as well as to identify areas of cooperation that align with each side’s needs and capabilities.
The two leaders highlighted the continued priority on war legacy settlement, focusing on speeding up the progress of dioxin contamination treatment at Bien Hoa Airport, addressing unexploded ordnance and providing information, documentation and DNA testing technology to assist in locating and collecting Vietnamese soldiers’ remains.
The two sides agreed to further expand and deepen cooperation in areas such as U.N. peacekeeping operations, training, military medicine, search and rescue, humanitarian assistance/disaster relief and mutual consultation and support in regional and international multilateral forums, especially within the framework of the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus) on the basis of respecting ASEAN’s centrality and principles of consensus.
They expressed their belief that in the near future, cooperation between the two defence ministries would continue to develop for the benefit of each country as well as for peace, stability and development in the region and the world, contributing to the Vietnam - U.S. comprehensive strategic partnership for peace, cooperation and sustainable development.
On the occasion, General Phan Van Giang also invited his U.S. counterpart and other leaders of the U.S. Department of Defence along with defence industry enterprises to Vietnam to attend the second Vietnam International Defence Expo scheduled for this December in Hanoi.
General Phan Van Giang handing over keepsakes of U.S. soldiers who went missing in the war to U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin.
At the end of the talks, the two defence ministers signed an Updated Joint Vision Statement on Vietnam - U.S. bilateral defence relations, marking a new milestone in bilateral defence ties between the two countries.
They also exchanged mementoes and information related to Vietnamese soldiers and U.S. servicemen who went missing during the war.
