President: US - top partner in Vietnam’s foreign policy President Truong Tan Sang and US Secretary of State John Kerry (Source: VNA) President Truong Tan Sang spotlighted Vietnam’s foreign policy of treasuring relations with the US – its leading partner at a working lunch hosted by US Secretary of State John Kerry in Washington DC on July 24. Addressing the event, President Sang also underlined the nation’s policy to maintain the growth momentum, continue improving citizens’ living standards, restructure the economy, and step up administrative reform and anti-corruption. “Externally, Vietnam continues pursuing the foreign policy of positive, active international integration. Vietnam earnestly wants to be a responsible, reliable member of the international community with positive contribution to addressing international issues for the maintenance of peace, stability, and cooperation in Southeast Asia and the Asia Pacific”, the President said. He made it clear that amidst a changing regional and world landscape, the role and responsibility of the major powers, including the US, in dealing with hotspots in the region have become ever more vital. “In the spirit, Vietnam welcomes the US’s enhanced cooperation with the Asia Pacific for peace, stability, and development in the region”, he said. The President shared his view that through dialogues, Vietnam and the US have achieved better mutual understanding, particularly about each other’s approach and distinct cultural and historical circumstances. Turning his attention to human rights, the Vietnamese leader said the nation has been making sustained efforts to protect and promote such rights so that the people can benefit from the finest results of the ongoing reform process. He went on to say that similar to the goals pursed by the American administration, Vietnam has been continually improving healthcare, social, and education programmes for her people, especially the poor living in remote, isolated areas and ethnic minorities. He cited that thanks to priority given to the development of communication and information technology, Vietnam has become one of the countries achieving the fastest growth of Internet users. On top of this, the country is making every effort to ensure the right of religious and belief freedom as well as maintain the diverse of cultural values of its people. President Sang stated that with wonderful opportunities to take bilateral relations to a new phase of development, the two sides need to continue deepening various areas of cooperation with a strong boost even to key areas of economics, trade, investment, science, technology, education, training, overcoming war consequences, and together with other partners soon conclude the Trans-Pacific Partnership. According to him, it is also necessary to maintain straightforward and open dialogues on issues of differences. Rested on constructive, mutually beneficial cooperation, mutual respect and understanding, and solid foundation developed in the past 18 years, the Vietnamese guest expressed his belief that the Vietnam-US relations will thrive with fruitful outcomes, contributing to the maintenance of peace, stability, and development in the Asia-Pacific. In his opening remark, Kerry recalled his memories in Vietnam during the war and the process of normalising ties between the two countries. The host affirmed that the US Government wishes to further strengthen future ties via effective cooperation mechanisms in various fields. He said “In the past 18 years, the wisdom of normalization has been amply proven. Vietnam has emerged as one of Asia’s great success stories. “As Vietnam has transformed itself, the country is now placing an increasingly significant role on regional and on global issues.” Later on the day, at his meeting with US congressmen and officials from the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, President Sang proposed them continue backing multifaceted ties between the two nations as well as on regional and global issues. He also suggested promoting dialogue mechanism between the law-making bodies and encouraging stronger ties among the two nations’ localities. The Vietnamese leader also talked openly about how the promotion and protection of human rights are going on in Vietnam. The participating US congressmen made it clear that the US treasures Vietnam’s ties when dealing with regional issues and its Congress backs the administration’s policy of lifting the Vietnam-US ties to a new height.-VNA