Senior US diplomat praises President Sang’s visit
(VOV) - Daniel Russel, US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, has described Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang’s forthcoming July 24–26 US visit as representing a historic landmark in bilateral relations.
At a Washington press conference on July 22, Russel said Vietnam is emerging as a Southeast Asian nation of magnitude, assuming a greater role within ASEAN as the US is strengthens its diplomatic and strategic ties with the region.
Vietnam is an important party in the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) negotiations. Russel noted the World Bank believes Vietnam can benefit results from a standard agreement.
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According to the Assistant Secretary of State, President Sang’s visit will give the two nations a chance to enhance bilateral cooperation on regional strategic issues, including those related to the East Sea.
It is also an opportunity for the US to increase its cooperation with ASEAN ahead of President Barack Obama’s visit to Brunei for the East Asia Summit.
The two sides will discuss climate change and specific areas where the US can help Vietnam improve its energy capacity in a sustainable manner.
The talks’ major focus will be the TPP agreement, scheduled for completion by the end of this year.
President Truong Tan Sang will attend a banquet hosted by Secretary of State John Kerry. Kerry visited Vietnam 17 times during his term as senator and chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Russel said Kerry’s past contributions to Vietnam’s and the US’s comprehensive strategic partnership will only help him push bilateral ties to new levels of intimacy.
Russel was appointed as US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs last week. He used his inaugural press conference in the role to assess the US’s Asian relations and affirm the East Asian and Asia Pacific regions’ importance to America’s broader diplomatic orientation.