Vietnamese Ambassador to the United States Nguyễn Quốc Dũng addresses the semiar. — VNA/VNS Photo Đoàn Hùng

WASHINGTON — A seminar on Việt Nam-US relations was held by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington DC on January 23 (US time), drawing the attendance of both countries' diplomats, officials, congressmen, scholars, along with representatives from the US business community.

CSIS President John Hamre stated that the seminar aimed to respond to the increasing enthusiasm in the US towards Việt Nam, especially after the two countries upgraded their relations. The US business community sees Việt Nam as the most exciting place in Southeast Asia and the seminar will look at the attributes and benefits and policies of Việt Nam, he said.

Greg Polling, CSIS Director said it’s rare to have a full-day seminar dedicated to one nation like this in Southeast Asia programme, so it’s speaking to the importance of Việt Nam-US relationship.

"Our ability to put our difficult history behind us has provided a degree of stability and broad-based support in the relationship that is rare to find," he noted.

In his pre-recorded speech sent to the event, Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Bùi Thanh Sơn applauded CSIS for its initiative in organising the seminar and deploying a research programme on Việt Nam.

Highlighting the historic milestone in the relationship between the two countries in 2023, the Vietnamese top diplomat said the decision to upgrade the bilateral relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership for peace, stability, and sustainable development, following historic visit to Việt Nam by US President Joe Biden at the invitation of Vietnamese Party leader Nguyễn Phú Trọng last year, in the spirit of ‘leaving the past behind, overcoming the differences, building on commonalities, and looking towards the future’ reflected the maturity of the Việt Nam-US ties after nearly three decades since the normalisation of their diplomatic ties, and 10 years since the establishment of the comprehensive partnership.

The upgrade will open up many new exciting opportunities for cooperation, fully realising the late President Hồ Chí Minh’s vision of having “full cooperation with the United States”, benefiting both sides and contributing to peace, stability, and development in the Southeast Asia region and the world, Sơn said.

“Both sides are now focusing on implementation of the 10 pillars of Comprehensive Strategic Partnership of which economic and trade remains the driver of our relations, and new eras of cooperation such as green and digital transition, climate change, innovation, semiconductor, artificial intelligence will provide fresh impetus to take Việt Nam-US relations forward,” the foreign minister noted.

In his speech, Vietnamese Ambassador to the US Nguyễn Quốc Dũng reviewed significant milestones in the Việt Nam-US relationship, saying that the upgrade in 2023 this was a historic decision, and also a fitting development step based on the progress and achievements attained in the bilateral relationship.

“The upgrade is in line with Việt Nam’s foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralisation, and diversification of ties. It should be noted that by September 2023 the US remains the only UN Security Council’s permanent members with whom Việt Nam did not have a strategic partnership,” he said.

The diplomat stressed that the comprehensive strategic partnership is the inheritance and continuation of existing cooperation foundations and platforms, including the fundamental principles guiding the bilateral relationship over the past time, especially the respect for each other's independence, sovereignty, and political regimes, deepening the agreed-upon pillars of cooperation and expanding cooperation to new priority areas.

“The Comprehensive Strategic Partnership is not just a label, it establishes a framework that enables Việt Nam and the US to enhance the scope and the substance of our cooperation for many years to come.”

Dũng remarked that Việt Nam is determined and committed to fully implementing the comprehensive strategic partnership and turning high-level agreements into specific actions and measures for the performance.

Dr Nguyễn Hùng Sơn, Vice President of the Diplomatic Academy of Việt Nam, and Dr. Cấn Văn Lực, Chief Economist of the Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV), and other delegates discussed measures to further strengthen the bilateral cooperation in different areas such as security, strategy, trade, technology, and energy.

Delegates expressed their joy and optimism about the prospects of the Việt Nam-US relationship. They underlined the necessity to effectively implement the new cooperation framework, especially in the areas of trade, investment, digital economy, ensuring supply chains, coping with climate change, and addressing post-was consequences.

The seminar was part of the CSIS US-Việt Nam Initiative deployed this year, which sets its sight on advancing exchanges between officials and scholars from both nations, helping to promote mutual understanding and seek initiatives and ideas to further expand the Việt Nam-US partnership.  — VNS