Vietnam PM Vows Closer US Ties
Vietnam will do its utmost to strengthen bilateral ties with the US, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung told outgoing US Ambassador Michael W. Marine Friday.
Dung spoke highly of Marine’s contributions to promoting bilateral ties, particularly in trade and investment.
”On the basis of mutual respect, Vietnam and the US have been taking active measures to expand our relationship,” he said.
Marine said US-Vietnam relations were on the rise for the past three years, with an increase in meetings between senior leaders of the two nations.
The US had become an important partner of Vietnam since the two countries began negotiations on a bilateral trade agreement, he said.
He said dialogues on religious freedom constituted a useful way to build the relationship between the two nations, and pledged to continue cooperating with Vietnam in the future.
Marine, the fourth US ambassador to Vietnam since the two countries normalized relations in 1995, took over in September 2004.
His successor, Michael Michalak, is awaiting the US house’s confirmation.
Thanh Nien News
