US Ambassador wants to lift arms embargo on Vietnam

According to AP, Mr. Ted Osius, who was nominated by US President Barack Obama to replace Mr. David Shear as US Ambassador to Vietnam, said on June 17 that it may be time for Washington to consider lifting the ban on the sale and transfer of lethal weapons to Vietnam.

Speaking at a Senate hearing, Mr. Osius affirmed that there had been progress in three or four of the nine areas where the US was looking for improvement, including workers' rights, treatment of people with disabilities, creating more space for civil society and churches to operate.

Mr. Ted Osius (center) during his term of office at the US Embassy in Indonesia. (Photo: usembassyjakarta)

Therefore, Mr. Osius affirmed that “it may be time to begin considering the possibility of lifting the embargo” but at a pace that is convenient for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Vietnam.

Mr. Osius is a veteran diplomat who has served in Indonesia, India, Vietnam, Thailand and the Philippines. His appointment as Ambassador to Vietnam will need to be approved by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the full US Senate./.

According to VNA