Int’l press continue to highlight Obama’s visit to Vietnam

Germany’s “Spiegel” newspaper on May 23 reported that the announcement was made at a joint press conference after talks with Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang in Hanoi . 

The article said that Vietnam and the US normalised their relations in 1995, about 20 years after the end of the Vietnam War, and since then bilateral trade has grown rapidly. 

German “Suddeutsche Zeitung” newspaper on the same day published a story highlighting the move as a way to completely normalise relations between the two countries as well as eliminate the vestige of the Cold War. 

The US President underlined the mutual trust between the two sides and expected that military cooperation will be bolstered. 

Germany’s “Die Zeit” newspaper carried an article the 50 year-old arms embargo on Vietnam was lifted. This was the third US presidential visit to the Southeast Asian country since the establishment of diplomatic ties more than 20 years after the end of the Vietnam War. 

German “tagesschau.de” news website cited President Obama as saying Vietnam and the US have a difficult history and they still have big differences in politics. Nevertheless, relations based on mutual respect have evolved, benefiting the people of both countries, the President said. 

Italy’s ANSA news agency said Obama’s decision was part of the desire to normalise relations between Vietnam and the US, adding that the trip to the Southeast Asian country will strengthen bilateral cooperation in trade and security. 

France’s “Le Monde” newspaper highlighted the US President’s visit to Vietnam as further evidence of the gradual approach between the two countries. Meanwhile, the “Mediapart” called the three-day trip historic.

In an article posted on May 23, the French “Libération” newspaper highlighted the US ’s removal of the economic embargo on Vietnam in 1994 and the two countries’ normalisation of diplomatic relations a year later. 

It quoted Obama as saying the US and Vietnam have a number of opportunities from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement sealed between 12 countries, adding that he hopes the US Congress will ratify the agreement in early 2017. 

Argentina’s “Clarin” newspaper quoted Obama as saying that removing the arms embargo against Vietnam enables the country to enhance its defence capacity and eliminate any vestige of the Cold War. This change also aims to complete the normalisation of relations between the two countries, the President added. 

Argentinean “Telam” news agency highlighted the US’s move as a historic, adding that in a press conference with Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang, Obama stressed the importance of promoting the TPP.