Party General Secretary Tô Lâm and US President Donald Trump at their meeting at the White House on February 20 morning. — VNA/VNS Photo

WASHINGTON DC — General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam Central Committee Tô Lâm met with US President Donald Trump at the White House on February 20 morning (local time) as part of his trip to Washington D.C. to attend the inaugural meeting of the Gaza Board of Peace.

Held in an open and cordial atmosphere, the two sides discussed many aspects of cooperation between the two sides as well as regional and international issues of shared concern.

General Secretary Lâm congratulated the US and President Trump on the successful organisation of the inaugural meeting of the Gaza Board of Peace. He affirmed that Việt Nam was among the first countries to commit to participating in the Gaza Board of Peace, and stands ready to coordinate with the US and other members of the Board to implement the peace plan.

He reaffirmed that Việt Nam always values and wishes to promote the Việt Nam–US Comprehensive Strategic Partnership to develop in a stable, substantive, and effective manner. The two leaders expressed their satisfaction with positive outcomes in political–diplomatic relations, economic–trade cooperation, war legacy remediation, science and technology, education and training, and people-to-people exchanges.

Party General Secretary Tô Lâm and US President Donald Trump at their meeting at the White House on February 20 morning. — VNA/VNS Photo

General Secretary Lâm proposed enhancing delegation exchanges and high-level contacts. Highlighting economic and trade cooperation as a key pillar of the Việt Nam–US Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, emphasised the need for candid and substantive dialogue on outstanding issues, based on balanced and harmonised interests, in line with each side’s legitimate conditions and interests, and for the benefit of businesses and people of both countries.

President Trump congratulated General Secretary Tô Lâm on his re-election as General Secretary of the 14th Central Committee of the Communist Party of Việt Nam, and expressed his pleasure at welcoming him to the White House. The pressed his affection for the Vietnamese people and reaffirmed the US’s commitment to supporting a “strong, independent, self-reliant, and prosperous” Việt Nam.

He welcomed and thanked Việt Nam for announcing its participation in the Gaza Board of Peace, noting that the General Secretary’s direct attendance at the inaugural meeting reflects Việt Nam's growing role and standing in the international arena, as well as its strong commitment to global peace, stability, and cooperation.

The President also highly valued Việt Nam's efforts to balance bilateral trade and welcomed the valuable contracts signed during the trip. He responded positively to Việt Nam's proposals for cooperation in economic and scientific–technological fields. He said that he will instruct relevant agencies to soon remove Việt Nam from the strategic export control list (D1–D3).

Reaffirming that the US considers Việt Nam an important partner in the region, President Trump praised Việt Nam's increasingly prominent role and voice at regional and multilateral forums.

On this occasion, General Secretary Lâm invited President Trump and his spouse to visit Việt Nam again at an early date. President Trump accepted the invitation with pleasure and said that he will arrange a visit in the near future. — VNA/VNS

Party General Secretary Tô Lâm and US President Donald Trump at their meeting at the White House on February 20 morning. — VNA/VNS Photo