President Truong Tan Sang on July 25 met the President pro-tempore of the US Senate Patrick Leahy, as part of his visit to the US at the invitation of President Barack Obama.
President Sang spoke highly of the role of Senator Leahy and the US Senate in boosting the relationship between Vietnam and the US and thanked the Senator for his support of the process of normalisation and development of the two countries’ relationship, including the signing of the Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA), the US granting of permanent normal trade regulations (PNTR) for Vietnam and provision of funding to deal with the consequences of Agent Orange (AO)/Dioxin.
President Sang spoke highly of the role of Senator Leahy and the US Senate in boosting the relationship between Vietnam and the US and thanked the Senator for his support of the process of normalisation and development of the two countries’ relationship, including the signing of the Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA), the US granting of permanent normal trade regulations (PNTR) for Vietnam and provision of funding to deal with the consequences of Agent Orange (AO)/Dioxin.
Sang asked Senator Leahy to continue promoting bilateral relations in the coming time, such as supporting the establishment of the annual dialogue mechanism between the two legislative bodies and the re-establishment of the congress group for relations between Vietnam and the US. He also called for the senator’s support for Vietnam in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TTP) negotiations and US recognition of the market economy in Vietnam. The President asked for Senator Leahy’s help in removing barriers to bilateral trade including the new catfish monitoring programs under the 2013 Farm Act, seeking a complete end to the arms embargo against Vietnam, increasing support for Vietnam to overcome war aftermath, and preventing the adoption of bills and resolutions unfavourable to the development of bilateral relations. The US Senate President pro tempore voiced his pleasure at the outcomes of the talks between President Sang and President Obama, especially the establishment of a comprehensive partnership between the two countries, adding that the new framework for bilateral ties’ development in the coming time is very necessary and timely. Senator Leahy took note of President Sang’s proposals on bilateral ties, especially those on boosting dialogues between the two countries’ legislative bodies and dealing with the consequences of AO/ dioxin . The senator added the US Senate always pays much attention to situation in the East Asia-Pacific region and supports President Obama administration’s rebalancing policy, ASEAN’s central role in the evolving regional architecture as well as Vietnam’s active and positive role in the bloc, and in regional and international issues. He welcomed Vietnam’s participation in the UN peacekeeping forces in 2014 and the Convention against Torture soon . The US senator reaffirmed that the US Senate is against the use of force or threat of force or constrained measures in dealing with disputes in the East Sea and the East China Sea . The US Senate backs the resolution of disputes by peaceful means in line with international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and supports the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and advancing to a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC), he said. On the same day, President Sang paid a visit to the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) where he delivered a key speech. The Vietnamese leader and his entourage then left the US capital city of Washington DC for New York./.
