HA NOI — Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung yesterday met with US Senator John McCain, who is on a working visit to Viet Nam.
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung receives US Senator and former US presidential candidate John McCain in Ha Noi yesterday. — VNA/VNS Photo Duc Tam
Dung said he was happy to see that the fair co-operation and mutual respect had brought benefits to both sides, especially for the economy, trade and investment. The bilateral trade turnover from 2001 to date increased 10 times, with the figure reaching US$15 billion last year alone. The large volume of investment by American enterprises in the country had made the US one of the main investors in Viet Nam.
He said the potential for economic co-operation between the two nations was very large, so the two sides should boost co-operation to bring more benefit to the two peoples.
McCain was asked to back Viet Nam in benefiting from the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) to help boost trade and investment between the two countries, as well as co-operation in education and training, and help Viet Nam cope with climate change, overcome the aftermath of war and controlling HIV/AIDS.
Dung said he believed that McCain’s visit would help boost understanding and the developing relations between the two countries.
McCain said he was impressed to see Viet Nam’s development, as well as development of relations between the two sides, especially in the realms of the economy, education and training. He said the two sides should further boost co-operation in aspects that each had advantages.
The same day, National Assembly chairman Nguyen Phu Trong also met with McCain.
Trong said he appreciated McCain’s contributions towards the normalisation of relations and boosting relations between Viet Nam and the US.
He said the visit would help boost understanding and relations in many aspects between the two countries, including those between Viet Nam’s National Assembly and US Congress.
McCain congratulated the Vietnamese NA for its reform in its operations, such as live television broadcasts of the NA sessions.
Trong said he hoped McCain would help the American government to recognise Viet Nam as a market economy, grant the GSP to Viet Nam, encourage American enterprises to invest in Viet Nam and boost trade exchange between the two nations.
McCain also said yesterday at a press conference in Ha Noi that he was pleased with the overall progress in bilateral relations.
"I am very impressed by economic process that has been made since the normalisation and trade agreement between the US and Viet Nam," he said.
He also urged a greater military relationship between the two countries, given the facts that Viet Nam and the US had delegation exchanges in national defence and US ships’ visits to Viet Nam.
"I would like to see, among other things, officials of the
Vietnamese military attending our defence universities in the US," he said.
The senator said that there were a number of military institutions and schools in the US that he thought Vietnamese officials should attend.
"I also believe that we can do more with the Vietnamese military on exchanging information concerning threats by terrorist organisations," he added.
Regarding the Agent Orange/dioxin issue, the US senator said it remained an issue for both Viet Nam and the US.
"We need to continue to address the issue both in compensation of victims, as well as clean up areas that are contaminated," he said.
Together with Senator McCain, Senator Amy Klobucha and Senator Lindsey Graham joined the talks with the Vietnamese media and highlighted the issue of climate change and the attitude of the US and Viet Nam towards to issue.
"I am happy that the Vietnamese Prime Minister raised the issue of climate change and stated how important it is to Viet Nam," said Klobucha. "Our country and President Obama are very focused on dealing with climate change."
She considered it was positive that Viet Nam joined the 1993 Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption.
McCain and his delegation will leave Viet Nam today for Beijing and Tokyo. — VNS
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