At the launching ceremony (Photo: VNA) Washington D.C, (VNA) – Vietnamese Ambassador to the US Ha Kim Ngoc and US Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs David Stilwell on January 30 co-chaired the launching of activities to celebrate the 25th founding anniversary of diplomatic relations (1995-2020).
Present at the launching ceremony were 150 guests who are leaders from the US Department of State, Department of Defense, Department of Commerce, Department of the Treasury, Office of the US Trade Representative, and the US Congress as well as representatives from the overseas Vietnamese community, ambassadors and chargé d'affaires of member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Ngoc said 25 years are not a long time in the history of the bilateral relationship, but what Vietnam and the US have achieved is really impressive. From former enemies, the two countries have become friends and established a comprehensive partnership in 2013 with robust development in all nine key areas of cooperation from politics-diplomacy, economy-trade-investment, science-technology, education-training, and settlement of post-war consequences to defence-security, locality-to-locality relations, and people-to-people exchanges, he said.
Leaders of Vietnam and the US have regularly exchanged visits and pledged to respect each other’s independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and political regimes, Ngoc said.
Both parties in the US Congress support stronger relations with Vietnam, he said, adding that the expansion of policy dialogue frameworks has contributed to building mutual trust.
The bilateral cooperation in economy, trade and investment has also seen remarkable strides and become a key area of cooperation and driving force for the development of bilateral relations, he added.
The Vietnamese ambassador highlighted impressive achievements in the defence-security partnership over the past 25 years, especially in cooperation to address post-war consequences and improving enforcement capacity at sea.
Vietnam and the US have collaborated in UN peacekeeping operations and enhanced coordination in coping with regional and international security risks, the diplomat said.
The bilateral cooperation in education, culture, science-technology, and people-to-people exchanges has been expanded to help increase mutual understanding, Ngoc added.
On multilateral aspect, Vietnam and the US share strategic benefits in maintaining peace, security, stability, cooperation and rules-based order in Asia-Pacific, including issues relating to the East Sea, Mekong River, and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).
The two sides have also coordinated at ASEAN forums, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum, the United Nations, and the World Trade Organisation (WTO), he added.
Meanwhile, Stilwell said Vietnam and the US have overcome difficult times after the war to become reliable partners based on mutual respect.
The partnership and friendship between Vietnam and the US were built through the joint efforts, hence, the bilateral relationship in all areas has been continuously improved, he said.
Both officials told the Vietnam News Agency’s correspondents in the US that they are optimistic about the prospects of the Vietnam-US relations in the next decades based on bilateral deep-and-wide cooperation and respect for each other’s independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and political regimes.
With the political determination, long-term vision, and joint efforts, the Vietnam-US partnership will continue to develop strongly and reach new heights, they said.
At the launching ceremony, the Embassy of Vietnam and the US Department of State introduced the symbol of the celebration of 25-year diplomatic ties, which features pigeon wings bearing the national flags of Vietnam and the US./.
VNA
