Party chief receives US Secretary of State

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu (R) and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (Photo: VNA)

Positive outcomes in the Vietnam-US relations will create a foundation for the two countries to elevate their ties to a new height, for the sake of their people, and for peace, stability and development in the region and the world at large, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Hanoi on April 15.

The Party chief stressed that the official visit to Vietnam, the first by Blinken in his capacity as US Secretary of State, is of significance as it takes place on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the bilateral comprehensive partnership.

He spoke highly of results of the US official’s working sessions in Vietnam, as well as the strong, comprehensive development of the bilateral relations, saying the important foundations for the development lie with the respect for independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and political institutions of each other, for peace, stability and development in the region and the world.

The host also highly valued outcomes of his phone talks with President Joe Biden on March 29, during which they compared notes on major orientations for the Vietnam-US relations, particularly high-level meetings and exchanges in order to enhance mutual understanding and expand cooperation in trade-investment, science-technology, education-training and others.

For his part, Blinken conveyed wishes and regards of President Joe Biden to the Vietnamese Party leader, and stressed that the US also highly values the success of the phone talks.

He highlighted the comprehensive, substantive development of the Vietnam-US comprehensive partnership over the past years, saying the US commits to enhancing cooperation with Vietnam across spheres, especially in trade-investment, science-technology, education-training and climate change response.

The Secretary of State reiterated that the US attaches importance to its relationship with Vietnam, and wishes to advance it to a new level.

He also affirmed the US’s support for ASEAN’s centrality, and its hope for the acceleration of the handling of issues of shared concern through ASEAN mechanisms and frameworks.

In this regard, Trong welcomed the US’s support for concern of Vietnam and other ASEAN countries over regional and international issues.

On behalf of President Biden, the Secretary of State reiterated the invitation to the Party chief to visit the US.

Trong noted his thanks and asked relevant agencies to arrange the visit at an appropriate time. He also reiterated the invitation to Biden to visit Vietnam. Blinken, in reply, said the US President wishes to visit the Southeast Asian nation at an early date.

The same day, Blinken had a meeting with Le Hoai Trung, head of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for External Relations, during which the two sides looked into orientations and measures to carry forwards outcomes of the bilateral relations, and materialise results of the phone talks between Party General Secretary Trong and President Biden, and of the visit to Vietnam by the Secretary of State./.