Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh (R) receives US Ambassador Daniel Kritenbrink on January 8 (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Deputy Prime Minister and ForeignMinister Pham Binh Minh received US Ambassador to Vietnam Daniel Kritenbrink inHanoi on January 8, highly valuing his guest’s role in promoting the twocountries’ comprehensive partnership.
Deputy PM Minh expressed his delight at thesubstantive progress in bilateral relations in 2018, noting frequent meetingsand delegation exchanges, the dynamic development of economic ties with theUS’s exports to Vietnam up 23 percent year on year as of late October, goodcoordination under the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement, and strides insecurity-defence cooperation and the settlement of war consequences.
The two sides have completed the project onenvironmental remediation of dioxin contamination at Da Nang airport of Da Nangcity and are carrying out a similar project in Bien Hoa airport of Dong Naiprovince.
The Fulbright University Vietnam project is alsobeing implemented well, he added.
Minh applauded the close coordination betweenthe US Embassy and the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry, and proposed that the twocountries keep working closely in politics-diplomacy, economy-trade,security-defence and international issues.
At the meeting, Ambassador Kritenbrinkhighlighted the upward trend of bilateral relations since the trip to the US byPrime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and the visit to Vietnam by President DonaldTrump in 2017. He also hailed the outcomes of the meeting between US VicePresident Mike Pence and PM Phuc on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit inSingapore last November.
The diplomat thanked the Government, ministriesand sectors of Vietnam for promoting the two countries’ connections. He notedthat US enterprises attach importance to the Vietnamese market and want tocontinue expanding their investment and business activities here.
The US considers Vietnam as a leading partner inthe region and wishes to develop relations with the country as well as ASEANfor peace, cooperation and development. It also hopes to strengthencollaboration in issues relating to the Mekong sub-region, the freedom andsafety of navigation and aviation in the East Sea, and the implementation ofthe United Nations Security Council’s resolutions, Kritenbrink said.
On this occasion, the ambassador conveyedPresident Trump’s New Year greetings to Party General Secretary and PresidentNguyen Phu Trong and PM Phuc.–VNA
VNA
