>> Vietnam-US political, security and defence dialogue concludes

Vietnam and the US discussed a series of issues in the dialogue to strengthen bilateral relations, which concluded in Washington D.C on June 18.

A US-based Radio Voice of Vietnam (VOV) correspondent talked to Deputy Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh who led the Vietnamese delegation, about the outcome of the dialogue.

Mr Minh: This is the fourth time Vietnam and US have conducted such a dialogue under their high-level agreement.

This dialogue focused on four major topics. The first was regional security issues related to the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), the ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting Plus (ADMM+), and mechanisms of the East Asia Summit (EAS), and the East Sea.

The second was cooperation in security and defence. The third topic was humanitarian cooperation such as searching for MIA soldiers from the war and dealing with the consequences of war, including clearing unexploded ordnance.

The fourth concerned details of elevating the Vietnam-US relations to a higher level.

Reporter: What is the update of this dialogue?

Mr Minh:  It has been 15 years since the two countries normalized relations and last year we celebrated the 15^th anniversary of Vietnam-US diplomatic ties. Over the past 15 years, Vietnam-US relations have developed strongly and rapidly in various fields such as politics, education and science and technology.

During her visit to Vietnam in 2010, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said it was time to make the bilateral relationship into a strategic partnership and Vietnamese leaders agreed.

Reporter: The recent incidents in the East Sea have raised concerns for Vietnam and many other countries in the world including the US. So, what did the two sides have to say about this issue at this dialogue?

Mr Minh: At this dialogue, we exchanged views on regional security and related issues. The East Sea was one of the issues of mutual concern.

The East Sea situation concerns many countries, including the US. All parties think it very important to maintain security in the East Sea. Settling issues or disputes in the East Sea must be done in compliance with international laws, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) signed between ASEAN and China in 2002.

Obviously, the recent incidents in the East Sea are raising concerns for Vietnam because they are related to regional security and the country’s exclusive economic zone.

Reporter: 2011 marked 50 years since the US sprayed Agent Orange/Dioxin on Vietnam. This is an issue of special concern in the bilateral relationship between the two countries. What solution did they come up with to deal with this issue in the future?

Mr Minh: This is a sensitive issue in this bilateral relationship. At the dialogue, we had frank discussions on how to promote joint cooperation in addressing it.

Over the past year, the US has cooperated in dealing with the consequences of war, including the AO/Dioxin situation but the issue has not yet been resolved.

Reporter: What is your assessment of the fourth dialogue?

Mr Minh: I have joined the previous four dialogues and I can say this dialogue was frank, substantive and effective and it was more productive than the earlier ones and has helped consolidate trust in the Vietnam-US relationship.

Reporter: Thank you very much.