Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc hosts US Secretary of State

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (R) receives US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo (Source: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on October 30 received US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo, who is on an official visit to Vietnam on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties.

Phuc highlighted that the Vietnam-US relationship has achieved all-round development over the past 25 years.

He took the occasion to thank President Donald Trump and his administration for substantial and timely assistance to help Vietnam deal with the COVID-19 pandemic and recent floods in the central region.

Pompeo extended his condolences to people in Vietnam’s central region over great losses caused by floods.

Speaking of the outcomes of his just-ended talks with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh, he reaffirmed that the US attaches importance to its comprehensive partnership with Vietnam on the principle of respecting each other’s independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and political systems, and committing to continuing to deepen the ties in the time to come.

The US backs ASEAN’s central role in Southeast Asia, and hopes the US-ASEAN strategic partnership and the US-Mekong partnership will grow more substantially and effectively, the US official said.

PM Phuc highlighted the strategic level of the bilateral energy cooperation, including the increase of liquefied natural gas imports from the US.

He affirmed that Vietnam pledges to create an open and transparent business and investment environment for foreign enterprises, including those from the US.

Both host and guest shared positive assessments on the outcomes of the Indo-Pacific Business Forum held in Hanoi on October 28-29./