Vietnam Welcomes the Passage of the US - Vietnam PNTR
STATEMENTS BY MR. LE DUNG, SPOKESMAN OF THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS ON THE APPROVAL OF PNTR BILL TO VIETNAM
Vietnam welcomes the approval by the US Congress of the bill to extend Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) to Vietnam. This represents an important step that helps promote the relationship between Vietnam and the US, meeting the expectation of the two peoples.
The event is of major significance for the ties between Vietnam and the US, marking full normalization of the bilateral relationship, especially in economic and trade fields. This results from enormous efforts by both sides in the normalization process of the bilateral relations, illustrating tangible fruits of the common desire to build better relations between Vietnam and the US. On this occasion, we are thankful for the concern and direct support of President G Bush. We are also grateful to other US government officials, US Congressmen, the American business community and people as well as the Vietnamese community in the US for their active campaign for PNTR for Vietnam. We hope that President G. Bush will soon proclaim to grant the status to Vietnam.
The approval of PNTR will pave the way for both sides to implement their own commitments within the frameworks of WTO regulations and of Vietnam- US Bilateral Trade Agreement to Vietnam’s accession to the WTO, opening up new cooperation opportunities for the two peoples, particularly the business communities.
We are convinced that with PNTR, positive developments in the Vietnam-US relations recorded over the past time will be further fostered and enhanced, contributing to moving the bilateral relationship toward a friendly relationship, constructive partnership and a comprehensive cooperation on the basis of equality, mutual respect and benefits.
