Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son meets US Ambassador Marc Knapper. (Photo: Baoquocte)

Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son and US Ambassador Marc Knapper reviewed and noted with pleasure the positive development of the Vietnam-US comprehensive partnership during their meeting in Hanoi on March 23, VNA reported.

During their meeting, both sides reviewed their relations, with joint efforts made to maintain visits and meetings, as well as to bolster co-operation across multiple fields such as the economy and trade, COVID-19 prevention and control, response to climate change, and settlement of war consequences.

Minister Son stated his wish to see Ambassador Knapper continue to make active contributions to developing the Vietnam-US Comprehensive Partnership in an effective and substantial manner.

He also asked the US diplomat to coordinate in intensifying the exchange of visits between senior leaders of both nations in 2022 and delegations and meetings at all levels and channels, including the Party, National Assembly, and citizen diplomacy.

The Vietnamese Minister added that he hopes the US will closely co-ordinate with Vietnamese ministries and sectors to further augment cooperation in important and priority areas such as boosting post-pandemic economic recovery and growth, improving the overall resilience of supply chains, building high-quality infrastructure, ensuring green and sustainable development, and training human resources, according to VOV.

In reply, Knapper expressed his impression of Vietnam’s great development over the past years and spoke highly of the important results of the comprehensive partnership.

The US supports an independent, strong and prosperous Vietnam, he said, stressing that the US hopes to elevate its relationship with the Southeast Asian nation to a new height.

At the event. (Photo: Baoquocte)

The diplomat pledged to coordinate closely with Vietnamese ministries and agencies, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to foster the exchange of high-level visits in 2022 and boost cooperation between the two countries across fields, from trade to national defense security, health care, climate change response and energy transition.

Regarding the Ukraine issue, Son reiterated Vietnam’s consistent stance that international disputes and differences should be addressed via peaceful measures in accordance with the basic principles of the United Nations Charter and international law, especially those on respecting independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of nations.

The minister highlighted the need to ensure safety for civilians, including Vietnamese in Ukraine, to evacuate from battle zones, VNA cited.

For regional matters, the two officials emphasized the significance of observing international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and agreed to continue close coordination at regional cooperation frameworks, particularly the mechanisms of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Mekong sub-region.

Vietnam and the United States elevated their relationship to a comprehensive partnership in 2013, shaping the framework for bilateral connections in the new period as well as orientations for their relations in the subsequent years. Over the last 25 years, the two countries have also exchanged mutual visits at all levels, including the trips to the US by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh and Defence Minister Ngo Xuan Lich, and the tours of Vietnam by Defence Secretary James Mattis and State Secretary Mike Pompeo.

Apart from sound political links, economic and trade relations are also considered one of the most successful fields of bilateral cooperation and becoming a driving force for the overall relationship between the two countries. The US is currently the third-largest among the more than 100 trade partners of Vietnam around the globe, VNA cited.

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