US Senator James Webb assured Deputy Defence Minister Nguyen Chi Vinh of doing his utmost to further promote cooperative ties with Vietnam during their meeting in Hanoi on July 9.

Cooperation between Vietnam and the US has made significant progress in recent year, said Senator Webb, chairman of the East Asia & Pacific Affairs Subcommittee under the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.

Lieut. Gen. Vinh welcomed the working visit to Vietnam by Senator Webb, that coincides with the 15th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

He said he belief that Webb’s visit would make contributions to enhancing bilateral cooperation in all areas for mutual benefit.

The Deputy Defence Minister asked the Senator to convey Defence Minister Phung Quang Thanh’s invitation to US Secretary of Defence Robert Gates to attend the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM+) scheduled for October in Vietnam./.