Vietnam hails historical diplomacy efforts of US citizen
VOV.VN - Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang, head of Vietnam's Permanent Mission to the UN, hosted a meeting with John McAuliff, a US close friend of Vietnam, in New York, during which the Vietnamese diplomat thanked McAuliff for his efforts in Vietnamese citizen diplomacy over the past half a century.
The Ambassador acknowledged McAuliff's enthusiastic opinions on a range of outstanding international issues at UN forums, expressing hope that he would continue to co-ordinate alongside the Vietnamese Mission, as well as relevant agencies to strengthen mutual understanding between the two sides.
In response, McAuliff briefed Ambassador Giang on activities that he and the Fund for Reconciliation and Development have carried out in recent times, along with plans aimed at connecting and strengthening exchanges between individuals and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) of both the US and Vietnam.
He went on to applaud Vietnamese achievements in multilateral foreign affairs and affirmed his willingness to continue becoming involved in forthcoming activities put on by the Mission.
McAuliff, born in 1942, has enjoyed a close relationship with the Vietnamese Mission to the UN in New York since Vietnam’s observer mission to the UN was established back in 1975.
Most notably, he was active in the movement of the American people in protesting the war in Vietnam since the late 1960s and mobilised public support to the signing of the Paris Agreement, which ultimately ended the conflict and helped to restore peace.
He set up the non-governmental organisation Fund for Reconciliation and Development (FFRD) in 1975 and has operated it for academic exchange and philanthropic activities in a bid to accelerate the normalization of mutual ties.