General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President To Lam made the remarks during his reception in New York on September 21 (local time) for a delegation of US House members led by Representative Gregory Meeks, ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, as part of his working trip to the United States for the 81st session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 81).

He spoke highly of the US Congress’s attention to and support for Vietnam and bilateral ties, and expressed his wish to further deepen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in a stable, substantive and effective manner.

Parliamentary ties as a channel for strengthening bilateral foundation

Regarding parliamentary cooperation, he asked Representative Meeks and the US Congress to continue supporting bilateral ties and step up delegation exchanges, exchanges among specialised committees, friendship parliamentary groups and congressional staff.

These activities are aimed at promoting mutual understanding, building trust and strengthening the political foundations of bilateral relations. Parliamentary cooperation is therefore not limited to contacts between lawmakers, but also serves as a channel for maintaining regular exchanges and fostering closer understanding between the two sides.

Representative Meeks spoke highly of the positive development of Vietnam-US relations, reaffirming the importance he attaches to ties with Vietnam and parliamentary cooperation. He expressed his wish to continue promoting exchanges between the two legislatures, contributing to the development of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

The shared commitment to maintaining and expanding parliamentary exchanges provides an additional channel of connection within the broader Vietnam-US relationship, alongside government-level and sectoral cooperation mechanisms.

Building trust for substantive cooperation

The meeting also touched on areas of cooperation directly linked to the interests of both countries.

General Secretary and President To Lam described economic and trade ties as a pillar and important driving force of the Vietnam-US relationship, calling on the two sides to promote free, fair, balanced and sustainable trade and soon conclude negotiations on a reciprocal, fair and balanced trade agreement.

Vietnam also wishes to strengthen cooperation with the US in science and technology, innovation, digital transformation and high technology. These areas are part of efforts to deepen the partnership between the two countries.

He also asked the US Congress to continue paying attention to and supporting cooperation in addressing war legacy, defence and security, local cooperation and people-to-people exchanges, while creating favourable conditions for the Vietnamese community in the US to develop, contribute positively to their host country and serve as a bridge of friendship between the two countries.

Representative Meeks agreed with the leader’s proposals and affirmed that he would continue contributing to greater mutual understanding and trust and to the stable, substantive and effective development of the Vietnam-US Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

Cooperation in addressing war legacy provides a further illustration of the depth of trust between the two countries. The US side appreciates Vietnam’s active and responsible support in the search for, recovery and identification of the remains of US service members missing in action (MIA) during the war, he said.

The US also reaffirmed its commitment to continuing to support Vietnam in addressing unexploded ordnance left by the war, dioxin contamination and assistance for people with disabilities, as well as working with Vietnam on the 500-daynight campaign to search for, recover and identify the remains of Vietnamese fallen soldiers whose whereabouts are unknown or who are missing from wartime records.

Vietnam sees US as strategic partner, looks to broader cooperation

VOV.VN - Vietnam consistently regards the US as a partner of strategic importance, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Van Thang affirmed on September 21 while hosting Linh Austin, Chairman and CEO of US-based battery and critical mineral company R3 Lithium, in Hanoi.