A bilateral conference on Vietnam-US relationship opened in Hanoi on January 26 on the theme: For 20 more successful years.
Prominent among participants on the Vietnamese side were Deputy
Foreign Minister Ha Kim Ngoc, Director of the Diplomatic Academy Dang
Dinh Quy and many diplomats and former Ambassadors to the US including
Le Van Bang, Le Cong Phung and Nguyen Tam Chien.
On the US side, incumbent Ambassador to Vietnam Ted Osius was joined
by former Ambassadors such as David Shear and Pete Peterson.
In
his keynote speech at the conference, Deputy FM Ha Kim Ngoc stressed
that the Vietnam-US relationship had to travel a very long and hard
journey to reach this moment today.
“Since the establishment of
diplomatic ties in 1995, our two countries have succeeded in
transforming ourselves from enemies to friends, and then to
“comprehensive partners”. The four Vietnam-US Joint Statements of 2005,
2007, 2008 and 2013 have confirmed our common viewpoints on constructive
and multi-faceted cooperation, which is based on respect, equal footing
and mutual interests. This year, we also celebrate the second
anniversary of the Comprehensive Partnership jointly declared by
President Truong Tan Sang and President Barrack Obama in July 2013,
which was aimed at broadening and deepening the bilateral relationships
between the two countries,” the Deputy FM said, adding that the
formation of the Comprehensive Partnership cooperation framework could
be seen as the most important achievement the two sides have made since
1995. In addition, the commitment by both Vietnam and the United States
to conclude the negotiation on the Trans-Pacific Partnership this year
manifests a strong desire for a more mature and stable relationship.
He said the reflection on the past 20 years could serve as a
starting point for the two countries to contemplate a vision for the
next 20 years of cooperation. According to him, the framework of
“comprehensive partnership” should be considered a solid runway for the
Vietnam-US relationship to take off and fly into the next decades of the
twenty first century. This should be developed into a comprehensive
partnership of substance, efficiency, and of strategic importance.
He
went on to say, “While trust building should be sustained in our
cooperation, in the time to come it should also be translated into
policy collaboration and joint action by both sides. The nine pillars of
cooperation defined in the comprehensive partnership framework need to
be pursued harmoniously, in which economic and trade cooperation should
be given priority. Closer economic linkages could serve as very strong
bonds connecting our two nations, and they should be considered both the
goals and the dynamics of our relationships. Above all, the linkages
between our two peoples, especially their shared feelings and common
values as enshrined in our declarations of independence, could be the
most powerful centripetal force which defines the future of our
relationships.”
At the same time, the deputy FM noted that the
bilateral partnership is now mature enough to advance even far beyond
the bilateral realm, and to enter into regional and global ones, thus
forming a tripod platform for the relationship to forge ahead.
He
explained that Vietnam is expected to play a more proactive role on the
global stage in the next 20 years, thus hoping to share greater
responsibility with the regional and global community in preserving
peace, stability and prosperity, respecting international law and
regional agreements, resolving disputes through peaceful means and
refraining from the use of force. Vietnam and the United States form
inseparable parts of the Asia-Pacific region, one that has enormous
potentials to become the world’s politico-economic centre in this
century.
“Vietnam welcomes the United States’ greater role in
the region, and we believe that US deeper engagement in the Asia-Pacific
is beneficial to all. In this direction, our two countries need to
support the centrality of ASEAN in constructing the regional
architecture, assisting ASEAN in strengthening ASEAN-led multilateral
institutions, especially the East Asian Summit. Economically, Vietnam
and the United States should work with other regional partners to
consolidate and promote regional mechanisms that incorporate both
countries such as TPP and APEC,” the deputy FM said.
He
continued, “Our two countries should cooperate in maintaining the
stability and durability of the contemporary international system,
especially international law. Threats to basic principles of
international law and the Charter of the United Nations are currently
causing serious concerns to all peoples in the world. There have also
emerged numerous non-traditional challenges to the well-being of our two
nations and peoples, among them are climate change, proliferation of
weapons of mass destruction, water, food and energy security. Thus,
there is still a lot of room for further development of cooperation
between our two countries, given our common interests in jointly coping
with these challenges.”
US Ambassador to Vietnam Ted Osius noted
that the conference was the start of a series of activities throughout
2015 to mark the 20th anniversary of US-Vietnam diplomatic relations.
The conference is an opportunity for both sides to discuss measures to enhance the US-Vietnam comprehensive partnership, he added.
The Ambassador expressed his hope that US business and investment activities in Vietnam will be further expanded.
In addition, he said the US Government is interested in establishing US universities meeting international standards in Vietnam.
The bilateral conference on Vietnam-US Relationship – For 20 More Successful Years was organised by the Diplomatic Academy under the Foreign Ministry in collaboration with the US Embassy in Hanoi, the Centre for Strategic and International Studies and the University of Portland.
Vietnam and the US officially established diplomatic relationship on July 12, 1995 and exchanged their first ambassadors in July 1997. In November 1997, Vietnam opened its Consulate General in San Francisco and the US opened its Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City. In March 2010, Vietnam launched its Consulate General in Houston.
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