Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung receives US Senators

At the Government Headquarters, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung received Senator John McCain, member of the Foreign Affairs and Armed Services Committee; and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, member of the Judiciary, Budget, Economic, Labor-Wages, Environment and Public Works Committees of the US Senate, who are on a working visit to Vietnam.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung receives Senator John McCain

Welcoming Senator John McCain and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse to visit Vietnam, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung highly appreciated the sentiments and positive contributions of the two Senators in promoting the friendly cooperation between the two countries.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung expressed his delight at the progress and good results of cooperation in the Vietnam-US Comprehensive Partnership in various fields as well as the efforts of both sides in promoting bilateral relations. The Prime Minister affirmed that Vietnam wishes to continue working with the US to deepen the cooperation between the two countries, making it more practical and effective in various fields, especially politics, diplomacy, economics, trade, investment, education-training, science-technology. The Prime Minister asked the US to support Vietnam in negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement and to be flexible with Vietnam in negotiating the TPP, and said that the successful negotiation and signing of this Agreement will open up many opportunities for cooperation between the two countries.

Vietnam also wishes to further promote cooperation with the United States in the field of defense and security; request the United States to support Vietnam in improving its capacity to protect national sovereignty; cooperate and support Vietnam in overcoming the consequences of war, especially overcoming the consequences of bombs, mines, and Agent Orange/dioxin. Emphasizing the special importance of cyber security, the Prime Minister said that Vietnam is ready to promote cooperation with the United States in this field.

Regarding the issue of human rights, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung affirmed that Vietnam is making efforts to ensure better human rights because human rights are the goal and also the legitimate demand of the Vietnamese people. The Prime Minister said that the human rights situation in Vietnam is improving day by day, and affirmed that Vietnam is always ready to have a frank dialogue with the United States on this issue.

At the reception, Senator John McCain and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse said that the working visit to Vietnam by the US Congressional delegation aims to further strengthen cooperation activities between the US and Vietnam in various fields.

According to Senator John McCain, the world situation continues to change and become more complicated, and conflicts are still taking place in many regions around the world. In the East Sea, China is behaving more and more aggressively, in defiance of international law; the issue of security, safety, and freedom of navigation in the East Sea is always a hot issue, attracting the attention of countries around the world. US Senators also shared the assessment that peace, stability, and security in the Asia region and Southeast Asia are being threatened by China's intentions and actions to claim sovereignty according to the unreasonable "cow tongue line" claim, in defiance of international law, encroaching and intimidating small countries in the region, and this is the root and biggest factor threatening peace and stability in the East Sea and in the region. Therefore, to ensure peace, security, safety, freedom of navigation and aviation in the East Sea, all parties, including China, must comply with international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, not use or threaten to use force, resolve disputes by peaceful means, strictly implement the DOC and soon move towards the COC.

Senator John McCain also affirmed that he and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse will propose that the US Congress soon lift the ban on the sale of lethal weapons to Vietnam. The two Senators said that the US wishes to further strengthen cooperation activities with Vietnam in the fields of maritime security, cyber security, environmental protection, and water resources protection.

According to chinhphu.vn