Foreign Minister meets US National Security Advisor, USAID Administrator
Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son held a working session with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan in Washington D.C. on March 25 as part of his US trip to co-chair the first annual dialogue between the foreign ministers of Vietnam and the US.
Sullivan reaffirmed that the US attaches great importance to relations with Vietnam and supports a strong, independent, self-resilient and prosperous Vietnam with increasingly important role in the region and the world.
He expressed delight at the two sides actively and proactively implementing their comprehensive strategic partnership and high-level agreements reached by US President Joe Biden and General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong during the former’s visit to Vietnam in September 2023.
For his part, Son said he is pleased at the specific and positive results recorded during the implementation of the Vietnam-US comprehensive strategic partnership so far, especially the regular high-level delegation exchanges.
Affirming Vietnam’s external policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, friendship, multilateralisation and diversification, the FM underlined that Vietnam considers the US a partner of strategic importance, and highly valued the US’s support to a strong, independent, self-resilient and prosperous nation of Vietnam.
He extended regards of Party General Secretary Trong and senior leaders of Vietnam to President Joe Biden, and invited Sullivan to visit Vietnam.
The Vietnamese FM suggested that the two sides continue to promoting cooperation across all key pillars of the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership, with priority to making preparations for delegation exchanges and meetings between the two countries, especially at high levels, maintaining existing dialogue mechanisms and seeking new ones, especially in issues of differences.
The two sides should continue to expand economic-trade and science-technology cooperation, especially in innovation and human resources training, he said, proposing the US recognise Vietnam’s market economy regulations soon, and strengthen cooperation in overcoming war consequences.
Sullivan pledged that the US will continue realising agreements reached by leaders of the two countries, and supports Vietnam in developing high technology industries, energy transition, climate change response, overcoming war aftermaths, and making bilateral relations more intensive, extensive, substantial and effective.
The two sides also discussed a number of regional and global issues of shared concern.
The same day, FM Son also had a meeting with Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Samantha Power who affirmed that the agency always prioritises the development of relations with Vietnam, and vowed that the USAID will continue to work for the implementation of the US-Vietnam comprehensive strategic partnership and agreements reached by senior leaders of the two countries.
Reviewing the partnership between Vietnam and the USAID in overcoming war consequences, supporting persons with disabilities, education-training, and health care, Son highly valued the USAID’s assistance to Vietnam, and expressed his hope that the agency will continue to provide resources for the implementation of dioxin detoxification in Bien Hoa airport, searching for missing Vietnamese soldiers, enhancing Vietnam’s capacity in DNA analysis, supporting persons with disabilities, and war victims. At the same time, the US should consider new areas of cooperation such as high-quality human resources training, climate change response, energy transition, while turning Fulbright University into a regional training centre.
Power briefed the Vietnamese FM on the situation of USAID projects in Vietnam, underlining that the agency will continue to focus on cooperation in dealing with war aftermath, including dioxin detoxification in Bien Hoa, enhancing the DNA analysis for Vietnamese scientists, improving health care and social services in order to enhance the living conditions for persons with disabilities, and support Vietnam in mitigating climate change impactsand promoting sustainable development, human resources training, health care infrastructure, and disease prevention and control.
The two sides concurred to continue to work closely together in approving and effectively developing USAID projects in Vietnam, contributing to fostering the Vietnam-US comprehensive strategic partnership.
