Vietnam's Foreign Ministry and US state of Oregon sign a letter of intent in Hanoi on October 19 (Photo: VNA) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomes the Vietnam-Oregon US initiative to forge ahead with bilateral cooperation in politics, economics-trade-investment, education-training, agriculture-urban planning-environment, tourism and people-to-people exchanges, said Deputy Minister Ha Kim Ngoc.
The ministry pledged to work alongside departments, sectors, localities and partners to realise this initiative, the diplomat told visiting Oregon Governor Katherine Brown at a reception in Hanoi on October 19.
Ngoc said he hopes the Governor and Oregon US businesses would support the early adoption of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement by the US congress.
He hailed the active and fruitful cooperation between Vietnam and Oregon, especially in implementing the State Partnership Programme in search and rescue, and State personnel training.
He also highlighted future opportunities to broaden cooperation between Vietnam and the US based on the positive strides in bilateral relations and the successful conclusion of TPP negotiations.
Brown, who is visiting Vietnam from October 17-21, acknowledged the cooperation potential between her State and Vietnamese partners and hailed Vietnam’s active coordination in carrying out joint projects.
Oregon State in particular and the US in general are very interested in the Asian region, particularly Vietnam, she said, adding that the signing of a letter of intent to reinforce the friendship and multi-faceted cooperation between Oregon and Vietnam will contribute to elevating the two countries’ comprehensive partnership.
This is Brown’s first visit to Vietnam since she took office in March 2015; the visit aims to exchange and further cooperation in specific fields that the two sides established in 2011.
Positive developments have been seen in Vietnam-US relations after they set up a comprehensive partnership in July 2013 and the visit to the US by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong in July 2015.
Oregon State is located in the western part of the US with a population of over 3 million and its GDP reaching nearly 230 billion USD last year.
The State boasts strengths in higher education, urban planning and environmentally friendly technology. It is home to many top trans-national US corporations such as Intel, Nike, Columbia and Sportsware, which are effectively operating in Vietnam.-VNA
