Vietnam and the U.S. are expected to clinch a number of important agreements during U.S. President Barack Obama’s visit to Vietnam next week, said Vietnamese Ambassador to the U.S. Pham Quang Vinh.
In an interview with Voice of Vietnam (VOV) radio station ahead of the three-day Vietnam visit by Obama, which starts on Monday, Vinh said both sides are reviewing all cooperation fields within the comprehensive partnership framework as well as orientations set forth in the joint vision statement in 2015 to further promote cooperation agreements.
“I believe there will be major agreements … Preparations are still underway and we will wait for the coming outcomes,” Vinh said.
According to the ambassador, Vietnam and the U.S. have made considerable strides in bilateral relations over the past ten years.
Bilateral trade has shot up to US$45 billion, 90 times higher than the figure recorded 20 years ago. The two countries established a comprehensive partnership in 2013 and adopted the joint vision statement in July 2015 when Vietnam’s Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong visited the U.S.
These are solid foundations and opportunities for both countries to advance their relations, Vinh said.
In addition, Vietnam-U.S. relations have progressed in multiple fields, including politics, defense and security, science-technology, education, people-to-people exchange and regional and global issues of mutual concern.
“I believe that the upcoming visit by U.S. President Obama will help produce good outcomes and deepen the comprehensive partnership,” Vinh said.
The two countries are working hard to put the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal in place to promote trade ties among 12 Pacific Rim countries in general and between Vietnam and the U.S. in particular.
The ambassador hoped the U.S. President’s visit will promote bilateral cooperation in science-technology and education. Besides, people-to-people exchange and cooperation in global issues like climate change, maritime security and environment are among what both sides are paying attention to.
Regarding the East Sea, Vinh said the maintenance of peace, stability, maritime security and safety in line with international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea is shared by the parties concerned, including ASEAN.
Talking about the U.S.’s possible removal of a ban on the sale of lethal arms for Vietnam, Vinh said it is necessary to lift the ban as soon as possible. If it is done during the visit, it would be good to foster mutual trust between the two countries.
Source : http://english.thesaigontimes.vn/
Keyword : Vietnam, U.S, expected to, reach major deals, in Obama’s visit.
