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The two defense ministers.
The press conference took place after the talks between the two ministers.
Minister Thanh said that the two sides exchanged measures to promote the implementation of the defense memorandum of understanding signed last year.
Thanh handed over three letters – keepsakes of American soldiers in the Vietnam War – to his US counterpart.
The two sides also committed to cooperate in clearing explosives left from wars, to detoxify Agent Orange at some airports and military areas where the US military used it during the Vietnam War.
Panetta told his Vietnamese counterpart that along with shifting its navy forces to Asia and the Pacific, the US wants to strengthen ties with its partners in the region, including Vietnam, for peace, stability and prosperity in the entire region.
He said that Cam Ranh is an important bay and if Vietnam needs assistance for improving the bay, the US is willing to help. Thanh answered that Vietnam has a strategy to develop Cam Ranh port and it has resources to serve this strategy.
Panetta also said the US and Vietnam should continue to develop bilateral relations in various areas, especially in defense and security cooperation.
Panetta said his visit aims to build up mutual trust and understanding between the two states and armies on the basis of full respect for each other’s independence, self-reliance, and sovereignty. He vowed to try his best to promote this relationship.
He thanked Vietnam for supporting the US in searching for American personnel missing in action (MIA) during the Vietnam War, and asked the country to speed up the work.
Vietnam agreed to open three excavation sites to search for MIA.
For his part, General Thanh stressed that Vietnam attaches importance to the friendship and cooperative relations with the US. “The US is one of Vietnam’s key partners, primarily in economics and trade,” said Thanh.
He acknowledged progress made in the MIA issue and pledged to assist the US in this humanitarian work.
Both host and guest agreed to realize the memorandum of understanding on defense cooperation signed late last year, under which Vietnam and the US will establish regular high-ranking dialogue mechanisms for maritime security, search and rescue operations, UN peacekeeping activities, and humanitarian and disaster relief.
They will also enhance ties for English training, military medical services, bomb clearance, and the detoxification of areas contaminated with Agent Orange, as well as searching for US and Vietnamese war remains and other issues of mutual concern.
The two ministers stressed that US-Vietnam defense cooperation will not damage the security of neighboring nations.
They agreed that in-depth cooperation between the two defense ministries will improve international and bilateral relations, and contribute to maintaining peace, stability, cooperation, and development in the region.
Panetta invited Thanh to visit the US to deepen bilateral ties on national defense.
Both sides later informed the media about the results of their talks.
AFP: Could you please tell us Vietnam’s plan on purchasing US weapons if the US agrees to sell. Will Vietnam allow further entrance of American military ships to Cam Ranh port? You want to promote bilateral relations but the two countries have concerns over freedom, human rights. How these concerns affect the efforts to promote bilateral ties, in your opinion?
Mr. Thanh: The US has lifted its embargo on Vietnam’s purchase of non-antipersonnel weapons. We expect that the US will soon remove the embargo on antipersonnel weapons for the full normalization of the bilateral relationships, for the common interest of the both sides.
If the embargo is lifted, we need to buy some kinds of equipment to repair, maintain and upgrade the weapons that we collected in the war. After that, if we have funds, we will step by step modernize our army and we will buy weapons that are suitable to our need, at competitive prices.
We welcome American logistic or technical vessels to come to commercial ports, and ports of the Vietnam Shipbuilding Industry Group (Vinashin) for repair. Vietnam has good shipyards and skilled, hard-working workers, and offers services at reasonable prices.
Minsiter Thanh and I agreed that the two countries need to take the bilateral relationships to new heights with high-level exchanges in the maritime area, in search and rescue, in humanitarian aid and disaster relief and in peacekeeping operations.
We are willing to assist Vietnam but any assistance is dependant on human rights improvement and some other reforms in Vietnam. But I believe that the ongoing steps make the partnership between the US and Vietnam to be stronger.
Tuoi Tre: Mr. Panetta, there is concerns over the increasing presence of the US army in the region, which makes the third party to worry. What is your opinion?
Mr. Panetta: I want people in this region to realize that the US’ basic goal in Asia-Pacific is we want to improve the opportunity of peace, security and prosperity for the region. Our goal is working with countries in the region, including China, to promote improvement of the ties between armies and help improve the self-defense security maintenance capability of each country.
The US is a country belonging to Asia-Pacific and it always considers itself as a member of the Asia-Pacific family. Our goal is working with countries in the region to promote security and prosperity in the region.
The core to realize that is we have fundamental regulations, principles and international law. If all countries obey these fundamental regulations, principles and international law, we will achieve the goal of building a better and more secure region.
Wall Street Journal: Mr. Phung Quang Thanh, do you think that Asian countries have two choices: being closer to China or to the US? Whether the countries that have to choose to be closer to the US provoke China and make changes to the current relative relations?
Mr. Panetta, after the US released its new defense policy, some Asian countries worry that this strategy will make instability in the region. What will the US do to build the partnership with countries in the region?
Mr. Thanh: Vietnam’s diplomatic policy is maintaining independence and self-reliance. We wish to expand defense cooperation with other countries to maintain a peaceful, stable environment for cooperation and development, to contribute to the common stability of the region and the world.
Based on the guideline “Vietnam wants to be a friend and a reliable partner with every nation. We have good relations with neighbors, with countries in the region, with big countries, in which the relations with China and the US are stable and long-term cooperative ties. Vietnam does not unite with this country against another country.
China is a neighboring country that has many similar things to Vietnam and is a comprehensive partnership of Vietnam. The relations between the two parties, two states, two peoples and two armies are developing very well. We want bilateral defense cooperation with the US to be friendly, stable and comprehensive for the common interest of the two countries and contribute to peace and stability in the region.
Mr. Panetta: The US aims to promote what Minister Thanh has just mentioned: independence, and sovereignty of countries in the region, to serve stability. We will surely have stability if there is a strong Vietnam, a strong Indonesia or a strong Philippines and strong countries in a strong region.
Instability happens if the region has only a group of weak countries, while the US and China are powers in the region. To have a stable, prosperous future and good life for people in the region, it is important to ensure that regional country to be able to develop economics and trade. This will bring countries closer together. That is the goal of the US and the reason for my presence in Vietnam.
On June 3, Secretary Panetta visited the USNS Richard E. Byrd dry cargo ship, which docked at Cam Ranh Bay in central Vietnam for repairs and maintenance.
Vietnam, US need to build greater trust, improve ties: PM
Dung said to the aim, the US Government should totally lift the ban on selling weapons to Viet Nam, and work better in resolving war consequences.
He also appreciated positive development in the Viet Nam-US ties since the two countries normalised diplomatic relation in 1995.
Dung said that Vietnam always reckoned the US as a leading partner of great importance, and hoped the US - as an Asia Pacific power - would actively contribute to maintain peace, security, stability, co-operation and development in the region.
Dung also said Vietnam wanted to, together with the US, to elevate bilateral ties, particularly in terms of economics, trade, investment, science, technology, education and training.
The country also expected to boost co-operation with the US in regional and global concerns, including anti-terrorism, trans-national crimes, non-proliferation of mass destruction weapons and the fight against climate change.
In return, Panetta said the US Government attached importance in boosting ties with Viet Nam under its Asia-Pacific policy.
He also expressed his wish to expand co-operation between the two countries on various aspects, especially in security and defence.
Panetta, who ended his two-day visit to Viet Nam yesterday, said he hoped the two nations would actively enact the Memorandum of Understanding on defense co-operation signed by the two defense ministries last year.
The US Government also wanted the two sides to elevate the bilateral ties for the mutual benefit, he said.
Also yesterday, Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh hold talks with Panetta. The two sides discussed matters of mutual and regional concerns.
The guest introduced the US new defence strategies, with a focus on enhancing co-operation with Asia Pacific and Southeast Asian countries, including Viet Nam.
The two sides also affirmed to broaden co-operation on matters such as safety and security in the East Sea and water conservation and sustainable development of the Mekong River.
Panetta’s Vietnam visit hits US headlines
Leading US newspapers have run articles highlighting Defense Secretary Leon Panetta’s visit to Vietnam, saying it reflects the in-depth cooperation between both countries.
The Defense Department’s online newspaper said the visit was a chance for both sides to assess the progress in defence cooperation made since the United States and Vietnam normalized diplomatic relations in 1995.
“The relationship between the two nations is based on mutual trust and understanding,” it cited Panetta as saying, “We have a complicated relationship but we're not bound by that history.”
Panetta said he hopes to witness promotion in high-level dialogues and further cooperation in maritime security, search and rescue operations, peacekeeping operations and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
He expressed his sincere thanks for Vietnam’s long-standing efforts to help the US search for those missing in action during the Vietnam War.
“In particular I want to thank Vietnamese Defence Minister Phung Quang Thanh for his offer to open up three new areas for remains recovery,” he said.
In an interview with Foxnews, Secretary Panetta emphasized the importance of his visit and affirmed that the US wants to improve its relations with Vietnam.
VietNamNet/VNA/VOV
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