2015 marks milestone in Vietnam-US relations

The year 2015 is identified a very important milestone marking the 20th anniversary of the Vietnam-US diplomatic ties and being the year to continue boosting the bilateral relations for the mutual interests of the two peoples as well as for peace, security and prosperity in the region and the world.

Vietnamese Ambassador to the US Pham Quang Vinh

The remarks were made by Vietnamese Ambassador to the US Pham Quang Vinh in the interview he granted to the Vietnamese press in Washington on January 3 about the Vietnam-US relations in the past time and the priorities set for 2015.

The Ambassador said that the comprehensive partnership established during the visit by Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang to the US in July 2013 was an important framework, adopting orientation to the two countries' relations.

He noted that in the past year, the two sides have actively implemented the nine prioritised sectors outlined in the comprehensive partnership agreement with some results appreciated by the host public but there remains room for more co-operation and obstacles needed to be resolved to deepen the comprehensive partnership in the future.

The achieved outcomes have significant meaning and have contributed to promoting the bilateral relations. The political and diplomatic relations were strengthened through a series of meetings and visits at all levels between the two sides in 2014: President Truong Tan Sang and Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung met President Barack Obama on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) forum and the East Asia Summit (EAS) and13 visits to Vietnam by US Congress leaders such as President pro tempore of the US Senate Patrick Leahy, Senator John McCain, Senator Benjamin Cardin, Senator Bob Corker among others.

The Vietnamese side also sent their high-ranking leaders to the US such as Politburo member and Secretary of Hanoi Party's Committee Pham Quang Nghi, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Van Ninh, Deputy PM and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh.

In addition, there were many other exchanges of delegations at ministerial and local levels to implement 11 dialogue mechanisms in the fields of politics, security, defence, economic development, democracy, human rights and labour.

The Vietnamese Ambassador stated that economic relations continue to be the bright spot in the two countries' co-operation. The US continues to be the leading economic partner and export market of Vietnam. The two-way trade revenue in 2014 was estimated at US$35-36 billion, of which Vietnam exported more than US$28 billion to the US, up 19% compared to the previous year.

The US is also the seventh largest investor in Vietnam with about 700 projects and a total capital of nearly US$10.7 billion, not including the US investment in Vietnam through the third countries. The two sides also reached substantial progress in negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) which will lead to agreements accordance with the level of development and interests of the both sides.

Co-operation in science and technology was also fruitful with the official effect of the Civil Nuclear Agreement 123 on September 10, 2014, opening huge opportunities for bilateral co-operation in the field of civil nuclear.

The US also continued committing to actively co-ordinate with Vietnam to settle problems caused by the war such as remediation projects in areas contaminated with dioxin worth US$15 million or the US$7.5million projects to support the disabled due to the aftermath of the war.

The Ambassador said that education co-operation and people exchange continued to be expanded. Vietnam ranked first among ASEAN countries and eighth in the world for having a high number of students studying in the US with more than 16,000 students.

In 2014, the number of American tourists to Vietnam also rose to 443,000 arrivals, making the US the fourth country in the world with high number of visitors to Vietnam.

The security and defence co-operation continued to be promoted on the basis of the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding on Defence co-operation signed in September 2011. The US was appreciated by Vietnam for its partial deregulation of arms embargo with Vietnam and Vietnam suggested the US completely remove the embargo in accordance with the comprehensive partnership of the two countries.

The two sides also exchanged many defence delegations, particularly the visit to Vietnam in August 2014 by General Martin Dempsey the first ever by a Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the US Army.

Co-operation in marine police was also promoted with the ongoing implementation of a package worth US$18 million from the US to Vietnam to help Vietnam improve its maritime capacity.
The two sides also gained effective co-operation at multilateral forums in the region and the world including ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), EAS, APEC among others. 2014 also witnessed the opening of the US-ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting for the first time.

However, Ambassador Vinh said that there are many rooms for more co-operation in each field and the US continues to implement many measures and trade barriers on Vietnamese products.

The two sides also have differences in the issues of democracy and human rights. The Ambassador affirmed that Vietnam is willing to hold frank dialogues and co-operate with the US in the spirit of equality, mutual respect and understanding to deal with the issues.

In general, the two countries' relations in the past year have seen a positive development, creating momentum to deepen the comprehensive partnership in 2015 and the coming years.

He said that the first and the most important thing is to effectively implement and deepen the Vietnam-US comprehensive partnership in all nine prioritised areas to create new breakthroughs in each field.

The two sides should continue exchanges of delegations at all levels to strengthen understanding and partnership agreements as well as create highlights to celebrate the 20th years of diplomatic ties in 2015 in a practical and effective manner. The Ambassador also recommended the two sides outline plans to hold 'The Vietnamese Days in the US' to help boost mutual understanding between the two peoples and bilateral relations.

Regarding the role of the Vietnamese community in the US, Ambassador Vinh said that about two million Vietnamese people are living in the US, accounting for nearly half of more than four million Vietnamese living abroad and is the largest Vietnamese community outside the Vietnam's territory.

Due to historical circumstances, a majority of Vietnamese people settle in the US after 1975 and they have made significant contributions to the development of the country and been a bridge for the friendship and co-operation between the two countries.

(Source: nhandan.org.vn)