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| Minister of National Defence General Ngô Xuân Lịch (L) war keepsakes of US servicemen to US Secretary of Defence James Mattis in Hà Nội yesterday. — VNA/VNS Photo An Đăng |
HÀ NỘI – Minister of National Defence General Ngô Xuân Lịch held talks with US Secretary of Defence James Mattis, following a welcoming ceremony for the latter in Hà Nội yesterday.
The two leaders reviewed the results of defence co-operation between Việt Nam and the US and agreed on measures to promote ties in the future, based on a memorandum of understanding on defence co-operation signed in 2011, a Joint Vision Statement on defence ties signed in 2015, an action plan for 2018-2020 and agreements reached by their senior leaders.
Both agreed that bilateral defence co-operation has been producing practical outcomes, particularly in searching for missing US servicemen, AO/dioxin decontamination, bomb and mine clearance, rescue and humanitarian aid and UN peacekeeping operations.
The two ministers also discussed regional and international issues of mutual concern.
The Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence applauded the US’s co-operation in a project on dioxin remediation at Biên Hòa Airport and its support for Việt Nam’s participation in UN peacekeeping operations.
The defence ministries of the two nations also asked their senior leaders for permission to allow an US aircraft carrier to visit the central city of Đà Nẵng in March this year.
After the talks, Lịch handed over war keepsakes of US servicemen to Mattis and introduced an exhibition on the outcomes of bilateral co-operation in addressing post-war consequences and joining UN peacekeeping operations.
Mattis was paying a two-day official visit to Việt Nam, which concluded yesterday. This was the sixth visit to Việt Nam by a US Secretary of Defence since the two countries normalised relations in 1995 and the first by Mattis since he took office in 2017. — VNS
