The two ministers sign the updated Việt Nam-US Joint Vision Statement on defence cooperation, marking a new milestone in bilateral defence ties. VNA/VNS Photo

WASHINGTON — General Phan Văn Giang, Politburo member, Deputy Secretary of the Central Military Commission and Minister of National Defence, held talks with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin following an official welcome ceremony for him in Washington, DC on Monday.

Expressing his joy in welcoming Giang on his first official visit to the US as the Defence Minister of Việt Nam, Austin said he highly valued the achievements in cooperation between Việt Nam and the US since the establishment of diplomatic relations. Upgrading the two countries' bilateral relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership had provided a strong foundation for the future of Việt Nam–US ties, particularly in defence, Austin added.

He emphasised the importance of working together on war legacy remediation, confirming that the US Department of Defense would continue to cooperate and support Việt Nam in this area.

Austin expressed his thanks to the Vietnamese Government for fulfilling its commitment to help search for US servicemen listed as missing in action (MIA) during the war in Việt Nam decades ago.

Giang said that Việt Nam wished to develop cooperation with the US based on the two sides' legitimate interests, contributing to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and globally.

During the talks, the two ministers said that bilateral defence cooperation was ongoing and active and that tangible results had already been recorded in areas such as delegation exchanges, dialogue and consultation, war legacy remediation, the search for MIAs from the war in Việt Nam, training, military medicine, UN peacekeeping and humanitarian assistance/disaster relief.

Việt Nam highly valued the support and commitment of the US government and people in addressing post-war consequences, notably through increased funding for dioxin (Agent Orange) remediation at Biên Hoà Airport, support for Vietnamese people affected by dioxin and providing evidence or records of Vietnamese soldiers who laid down their lives or went missing in the war. Việt Nam had also closely cooperated with the US to effectively carry out joint MIA search operations.

Regarding future cooperation, the two sides agreed to promote high-level exchanges and maintain existing dialogue and consultation mechanisms to strengthen mutual understanding and trust, as well as to identify areas of cooperation that align with each side’s needs and capabilities.

The leaders highlighted the continued priority on war legacy remediation, focusing on accelerating the dioxin contamination cleanup at Biên Hoà Airport, addressing unexploded ordnance and providing information, documentation and DNA testing technology to assist in locating and collecting Vietnamese soldiers' remains.

The two sides agreed to further expand and deepen cooperation in areas such as UN peacekeeping, training, military medicine, search and rescue, humanitarian assistance/disaster relief and mutual consultation and support in regional and international multilateral forums, especially within the framework of the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting Plus (ADMM+) on the basis of respecting ASEAN's centrality and principles of consensus.

They expressed their belief that in the near future, cooperation between the two defence ministries would continue to develop for the benefit of each country as well as for peace, stability and development in the region and the world, contributing to the Việt Nam-US comprehensive strategic partnership for peace, cooperation and sustainable development.

Giang also invited Austin and other leaders of the defence department along with defence industry enterprises to Việt Nam to attend the second Việt Nam International Defence Expo scheduled for this December in Hà Nội.

At the end of the talks, the two leaders signed an updated Việt Nam-US Joint Vision Statement on defence cooperation, marking a new milestone in bilateral defence ties between the two countries.

They also exchanged mementoes and information related to Vietnamese soldiers and US servicemen who went missing during the war.

That afternoon, during a meeting with US Senator Chris Van Hollen, Minister Giang expressed his pleasure in meeting the Senator again after he and the US congressional delegation visited Việt Nam in April 2023. The minister said that the Government, the Ministry of National Defence and the people of Việt Nam valued the contributions of generations of US Senators in promoting the relationship between the two countries, as well as supporting Việt Nam in overcoming post-war impacts, especially the late Senator John McCain and Senator Patrick Leahy.

Giang expressed his hope that the US Congress would continue to increase resources to handle all dioxin-contaminated soil at Biên Hoà airbase as well as help with the thorough cleanup of dioxin-contaminated soil at Phù Cát Airport. He also said he hoped the US would support Việt Nam in overcoming the consequences of bombs and mines left over from the war as well as the consequences of dioxin in Việt Nam.

He proposed the two sides implement a Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2021 on searching for, collecting and identifying the remains of Vietnamese martyrs who laid down their lives or went missing during the war, adding that his ministry was committed to working closely with the US to search for those listed as MIA.

For his part, Senator Van Hollen emphasised that he would continue to promote cooperation with Việt Nam, particularly paying special attention to dealing with the consequences of the war. — VNS