( Bqp.vn ) – On the afternoon of September 9 (local time), the official welcoming ceremony for General Phan Van Giang, Politburo member, Deputy Secretary of the Central Military Commission, Minister of National Defense and the high-ranking delegation of the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense on an official visit to the United States took place at the US Department of Defense Headquarters in Washington DC. After the welcoming ceremony, General Phan Van Giang held talks with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.
Secretary Lloyd Austin welcomed Minister Phan Van Giang at the US Department of Defense Headquarters.
Opening the talks, Secretary Lloyd Austin shared with General Phan Van Giang about the damage caused by Typhoon Yagi in Vietnam recently. Expressing his delight at welcoming General Phan Van Giang on his first official visit to the United States as Vietnam's Minister of National Defense, Secretary Lloyd Austin highly appreciated the positive cooperation results that Vietnam and the United States have achieved since the establishment of diplomatic relations; stating that the two countries' upgrading of relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership creates a good foundation for the future of Vietnam-US relations in general and defense cooperation between the two countries in particular.
View of the meeting.
Secretary Lloyd Austin also emphasized the importance of cooperation in overcoming the consequences of war in the overall relationship between the two countries; affirmed that the US Government and Department of Defense will continue to cooperate and support Vietnam in this field. On this occasion, Secretary Lloyd Austin thanked Vietnam for fulfilling its commitment to support the search for US soldiers missing in action during the war.
Minister Phan Van Giang thanked Secretary Lloyd Austin and the US Department of Defense for the welcome extended to the high-ranking delegation of the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense during the visit; expressed his pleasure in officially visiting the United States in the context of the two countries celebrating the first anniversary of the establishment of the comprehensive strategic partnership for peace, cooperation and sustainable development, towards the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations (1995 - 2025); affirmed that Vietnam wishes to develop cooperation with the United States on the basis of the legitimate interests of both sides, contributing to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world.
The two Ministers signed the Updated Vietnam-US Joint Vision Statement on Defense Cooperation.
At the talks, the two sides assessed that, based on the agreement between the two Ministers during the official visit to Vietnam by Secretary Lloyd Austin in July 2021, bilateral defense cooperation continued to be actively implemented and achieved practical results in the fields of delegation exchanges, dialogues - consultations, overcoming the consequences of war, searching for US soldiers missing in action (MIA), training, military medicine, United Nations peacekeeping, humanitarian assistance/disaster relief, etc. Vietnam highly appreciated the support and commitment of the US Government and people in the field of overcoming the consequences of war, typically increasing the budget to support the Dioxin Remediation Project at Bien Hoa Airport and activities to support people with disabilities affected by Agent Orange in Vietnam; providing documents and many souvenirs related to Vietnamese soldiers who were lost, missing, and sacrificed during the war. Vietnam has also closely coordinated with the United States to effectively deploy joint MIA search operations.
Regarding the direction of cooperation in the coming time, the two sides agreed to promote high-level exchanges and contacts and maintain existing dialogue and consultation mechanisms to enhance mutual understanding and trust, as well as identify areas of cooperation suitable to the needs and capabilities of each side. The two Ministers emphasized continuing to prioritize cooperation in overcoming the consequences of war, focusing on accelerating the progress of dioxin contamination treatment at Bien Hoa airport, overcoming the consequences of unexploded bombs and mines, and providing information, documents and supporting equipment and DNA testing technology to serve the search and collection of remains of Vietnamese martyrs who went missing during the war. The two sides also promote and deepen cooperation in the fields of: United Nations peacekeeping, training, military medicine, search and rescue, humanitarian assistance/disaster relief, consultation and mutual support in regional and international multilateral forums, especially within the framework of the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting Plus (ADMM+), on the basis of respecting the central role and consensus principle of ASEAN...
The two sides expressed their belief that in the coming time, cooperation between the two countries' Ministries of Defense will continue to develop, for the benefit of each country, for peace, stability and common development of the region and the world, contributing to promoting the comprehensive strategic partnership for peace, cooperation and sustainable development of Vietnam - the United States.
On this occasion, General Phan Van Giang once again respectfully invited Secretary Lloyd Austin and leaders of the Ministry of National Defense and US defense industry enterprises to Vietnam to attend the second International Defense Exhibition, scheduled to take place in Hanoi in December 2024.
At the end of the talks, the two Ministers signed the Updated Vietnam-US Joint Vision Statement on Defense Cooperation. The Updated Vietnam-US Joint Vision Statement on Defense Cooperation marks a new milestone in the bilateral defense relationship, thereby actively contributing to the overall relationship between the two countries and contributing to maintaining peace, stability and development in the region and the world.
Minister Phan Van Giang presented to Minister Lloyd Austin some souvenirs of US soldiers missing in action during the war.
General Phan Van Giang and Secretary Lloyd Austin also exchanged a number of war relics and information related to Vietnamese and US soldiers who went missing during the war.
Earlier that morning, within the framework of the visit, the Vietnam Military Medical Academy and the US Military Medical Sciences University signed a Letter of Intent on military medical cooperation.
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