President Sang welcomes US Secretary of State

State President Truong Tan Sang on August 7 received US Secretary of State John Kerry who is on a visit to mark the 20th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

At the ceremony, State President Sang lauded John Kerry as a close friend of the nation, who has made significant contributions to the forging of strong diplomatic and economic ties.

He underscored the point that the Vietnam government attaches great importance to the elevation of comprehensive relations with the US, one of the nation’s leading partners, and places much credence in its agreements with the US.

In particular, Sang said that confidence was demonstrated through the agreements reached during his visit to the US in 2013 and the recent visit by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and the joint vision statement issued.

He affirmed that Vietnam has faithfully participated in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement negotiations and is hopeful and optimistic that remaining issues will be dealt with efficaciously at the late August ministerial meeting.

He urged the US to give incentives for the Vietnamese clothing and footwear industry similar to incentives that Vietnam received from the free trade agreements with the EU and the Republic of Korea (RoK).

He appreciated the US partial lifting of the ban on lethal weapons and hoped that it will soon fully end the ban. He also asked the US to further support Vietnam resolving dioxin contaminated hot spots at the Bien Hoa and Danang airports.

Regarding the East Sea issue, President Sang applauded the US and G7 stand on resettling disputes in the East Sea as well as their support for Vietnam, saying that this contributed to maintaining peace, stability, security and maritime and aviation safety in the East Sea.

For his part, John Kerry said the healing that has taken place between the two countries took a while and didn’t come easy for either side.

The two countries have made significant progress in economics, science, education, security and defence cooperation.

Kerry said removing part of the ban on lethal weapon sales was an important step forward in defence cooperation towards fully ending it.

Kerry showed his special attention to the establishment of the Fulbright University in Vietnam and promised to provide strong support for it in order to create opportunities for Vietnamese students.

About the TPP, Kerry said the two countries have reached consensus on most issues. The most important thing is to complete an appendix on labour to end negotiations as soon as possible.

The Secretary of State reported to President Sang that ASEAN countries reached a consensus on condemning the construction of islands in the East Sea in recent times and urging related sides to respect legal principles and international law.

Kerry said progress on human rights and the rule of law will provide the foundation for a deeper and more sustainable partnership between the United States and Vietnam.

He revealed that the US President was also deeply impressed with Vietnamese leaders’ visits and hoped to visit Vietnam soon.

(VOV)