Participants join the virtual ceremony (Photo: VNA)
Washington D.C., (VNA) - A virtual ceremony was held in Washington D.C.on the afternoon of July 28 to mark the 25th anniversary ofVietnam-US diplomatic ties, chaired by Ambassador Ha KimNgoc.
In attendance wereUS Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun, Senator Patrick Leahy, CongressmanTed Yoho, and nearly 200 guests from US offices, the World Bank, ASEANcountries’ embassies in the US, and representatives of the overseas Vietnamese community.
Deputy PrimeMinister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh sent a letter of greetings, inwhich he affirmed that Vietnam highly values the US’s support and closecooperation to deal with common challenges, especially with Vietnam assuming itsroles as the ASEAN Chair in 2020 and a non-permanent member of the UN SecurityCouncil in the 2020-2021 tenure. He also expressed his gratitude forgenerations of leaders and members of the US administration and Congress, veterans,the two countries’ peoples, and international friends for boosting bilateralrelations.
In his openingremarks, Ambassador Ngoc said the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1995 wasa sound decision made by both Vietnam and the US, opening up a new chapter in bilateralrelations as well as Vietnam’s regional and international integration.
The two countrieshealed their war injuries and have established trust and set up comprehensivepartnerships on the basis of mutual benefit and respecting each other’sindependence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and political institution,Ngoc said, adding that the bilateral partnership has developed strongly andintensively in all fields, including COVID-19 response and economic recovery.
Biegun said thatcooperating in the search for US soldiers listed as missing in action during the war contributed to opening a pathto the two country’s normalisation of relations as well as cooperation inovercoming the consequences of the war, including dioxin detoxification, bomb andmine clearance, and support for war victims.
He said the US willcontinue helping Vietnam improve its capacity in law enforcement at sea andsending Peace Corps volunteers to teach English in the country.
Senator Leahyagreed that cooperation in dealing with the consequences of war has been a brightspot in the two countries’ relations and the US Congress vows to maintainsupport for Vietnam in this regard.
Meanwhile,Congressman Yoho said that the sincerity of the Vietnamese people helps connectthe two countries. Two-way trade reaching 80 billion USD after 25 years showstheir mutual trust and respect, he added./.
