General Secretary speaks at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in the United States

During his official visit to the United States, on the morning of July 9, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong visited and spoke at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, DC.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and US President Obama

CSIS is the United States' leading research and academic exchange agency, playing an important role in enhancing academic exchanges and dialogue among politicians, scholars, and people of all countries on important and practical issues related to security, peace, and development in the world.

Reviewing memorable events in the history of Vietnam-US relations, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong affirmed the tradition of peace and the consistent desire of the Vietnamese people for good friendship and cooperation between the two countries.

The General Secretary stated: Over the past 20 years, the relationship between the two countries has developed dynamically, continuously and increasingly deeply, going through many important milestones, from the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1995 to the signing of the Bilateral Trade Agreement in 2000, and the establishment of the Comprehensive Partnership in 2013. Cooperation in various fields has achieved positive and substantive progress, on the basis of respecting the fundamental principles of international law, namely respect for each other's independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, political institutions and mutually beneficial cooperation, making practical contributions to peace, stability, cooperation and development in Asia - Pacific and the world. That is the result of the efforts of the leaders and people of the two countries in the spirit of putting the past behind, overcoming differences, promoting similarities, and looking towards the future.

Sharing about Vietnam's foreign policy, the General Secretary emphasized: In a globalized world, with increasing interdependence between countries in both development and security, international law, mutual respect and cooperation between countries need to be promoted more than ever. Vietnam advocates continuing to implement a foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, cooperation and development, multilateralization, diversification, proactive and active international integration. Vietnam has expanded diplomatic relations with more than 180 countries around the world, forming comprehensive partnerships and strategic partnerships with important partner countries in the region and the world.

Regarding the Vietnam-US relationship, the General Secretary pointed out: In the immediate future, both sides will make continuous efforts to deepen and enrich the Comprehensive Partnership, creating a foundation to elevate the bilateral relationship to a new height in the future. The important driving force promoting the Vietnam-US relationship in that direction is the common interests that the two countries share in enhancing comprehensive bilateral cooperation, promoting regional cooperation and making efforts to contribute to common world issues.

The General Secretary said that the two countries have a lot of work to do to continuously move forward in bilateral relations, in which enhancing mutual understanding, building and consolidating political trust between leaders, politicians and people of the two countries is extremely important to develop the friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and the United States more deeply and sustainably. Economic - trade - investment cooperation is a focus, a foundation and a driving force for the development of bilateral relations, which needs to be further promoted. Cooperation in the fields of science, technology, education, training, health, environment... is a bright spot and a potential area of ​​cooperation in the relationship between the two countries. These are also areas related to the quality of sustainable development of Vietnam and the United States with many strengths that can be shared. Cooperation in the field of defense - security is a factor that increases trust and strategic value of bilateral relations, which needs to be strengthened with steps in line with the interests of the two countries. Cooperation in the humanitarian field needs to continue to be promoted to help overcome the consequences of war, build trust, and strengthen friendship between the people of the two countries. People-to-people exchange is a very important field to further enhance mutual understanding and friendship between the people of the two countries. The General Secretary hopes that the US government will pay attention to and create favorable conditions for the life, work, and study of Vietnamese people in the US, helping them integrate well and make positive contributions to the development of the US and to the Vietnam-US relationship.

Regarding human rights, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong emphasized that Vietnam attaches great importance to human rights. Although there are still many issues that need to be resolved, including human rights, Vietnam is making tireless efforts to build an increasingly better society for all. Cooperation on regional and international issues is an increasingly important area in bilateral relations. Vietnam is ready to strengthen coordination with the United States on international issues of mutual concern, including counter-terrorism, cyber security, response to epidemics and climate change.
The General Secretary pointed out: The lessons of history and the practical results of the past 20 years clearly show that friendship and cooperation is the only correct direction for the Vietnam - US bilateral relationship, beneficial to both countries, in line with the interests of the people of the two countries, the region and the world.

The differences between the two countries are objective realities and inevitable in a diverse world in which peoples have the right to seek and choose their own development path. However, the reality of the past 20 years has also shown that the two countries can share many similar interests, and the differences cannot be an obstacle to the development of the Vietnam-US friendship and cooperation. Referring to a saying by US President Theodore Roosevelt, "When you believe it is possible, you have achieved half the success", the General Secretary believes that the two sides can together build a bright vision for the bilateral relationship in the future, so that the two peoples and future generations will always be good friends and partners of each other.

During the talk, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong openly and frankly discussed issues that interested US researchers, experts, scholars, and veteran diplomats, related to the two countries' cooperative relationship in the new development stage.

Answering the question of Mr. Richard Cronin, Stimson Center Research Center on the most important domestic and foreign issues to be discussed at the 12th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong said: The National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam is one of the most important events in the political life of Vietnam, held every 5 years. In early 2016, the Communist Party of Vietnam held the 12th National Congress, aiming to review and evaluate the results of the implementation of the Resolution of the 11th Congress, the implementation of the Platform for national construction during the transition period to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (supplemented and developed in 2011) and the 2013 Constitution, analyze and forecast the new situation of the world, propose strategic policies, medium-term vision and elect the new Central Executive Committee.

The General Secretary emphasized: Considering the economy as the central task, Vietnam continues to restructure the economy, innovate the growth model, care for the lives of the people and vulnerable groups, and continue to integrate more deeply into the world economy. In terms of politics, Vietnam continues to focus on Party building and rectification, innovation of policies and laws, building a team of high-quality cadres and human resources to meet the requirements of the new period. National defense and security are strategic tasks, protecting national independence and sovereignty, creating a peaceful and stable environment for national construction and development. Vietnam persistently pursues a foreign policy of peace, independence, self-reliance, diversification and multilateralization of international relations, on the basis of respecting each other's independence and sovereignty, equality and mutual benefit.

Discussing the strengthening of investment and trade relations between the United States and Vietnam, the General Secretary said that this is an important foundation in the relationship between the two countries. In recent years, despite very positive developments, investment and trade relations have not been commensurate with the requirements and wishes of both sides. In the coming time, with a strategic vision, with the efforts of both sides, with the early conclusion of negotiations, the signing of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) and the implementation of commitments... the cooperation between the two countries will have new and stronger developments. The General Secretary hopes that the United States will soon recognize Vietnam's market economy status, open its market for Vietnamese goods to enter the United States; and hopes that the United States, with its strong potential, will invest more in Vietnam.

Mr. Sato Limaye, Director of the East-West Center, an organization with many cooperative relations with Vietnam, expressed his interest in defense cooperation between the two countries. Sharing about this issue, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong said that Vietnam has 300 km of coastline, considering marine economic development a strategic task, linking economic development with protecting sovereignty over seas and islands. In 2011, the two countries signed an agreement on areas requiring cooperation in defense and security, and in the coming time, it is necessary to continue discussing and concretizing to achieve higher cooperation results, such as cooperation in research, environmental protection, natural disaster prevention, search and rescue, etc.

In response to the opinion that there are still concerns about human rights in Vietnam, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong frankly said: Regarding human rights, the United States is interested, Vietnam is also very interested, considering this a strategic goal, a fundamental goal to strive for, ensuring the rights and legitimate interests of the people, each individual and the whole community. Never before have we had a democratic life like now, taking care of the interests of each individual, while also taking care of the common interests of the community. Some people are arrested and handled according to the law for violating the law, not at all because of religious beliefs, or lack of religious beliefs.../.

According to VNA