US senator John McCain welcomed Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong at the US parliament building in Washington on July 8.

The visit demonstrated the growing stature of the Vietnam-US partnership as the two countries celebrated the 20th anniversary of the normalisation of bilateral ties, the senator said.

“Vietnam is an important emerging partner with whom the United States shares strategic and economic interests, including the acceleration of an open regional trade order, the maintenance of the balance of power in the Asia-Pacific region, and the global long-term order principles such as freedom of navigation and peaceful settlements of international disputes,” McCain said.

The senator said the progress the two countries had achieved over the past 20 years was remarkable, and that the US and Vietnam were in a position to continue those achievements. The US senator also praised Vietnam for recent encouraging steps to improve its human rights record.

Stating that the US and Vietnam shared a profound commitment towards peace and security in the Asia-Pacific region, McCain said the US should continue loosening the ban on the sale of lethal weapons to Vietnam.

“The past 20 years have witnessed remarkable developments in the relationship between the two countries, which is more than what anyone could have expected”, added McCain.

During his meeting with McCain, the Party leader hailed the US senator’s support and significant contributions to lifting the US embargo and normalising relations with Vietnam.

The Party General Secretary said that bilateral relations were on the right track and developing in all fields and contributing to peace, co-operation and development in the region and the world, especially given complicated regional circumstances.

Party leader meets US lawmakers

Vietnam has highly valued the role of the US Congress on fostering relationship between the two countries, said Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.

The Party leader made the statement while meeting a US Democrat and Republican delegation led by US Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy in Washington on July 8.

During the meeting, US lawmakers expressed their pleasure at the robust development between the two legislative bodies over the recent period.

US congressmen also expressed their concern over the recent developments in the East Sea .

For his part, the Party leader said Vietnam has highly appreciated the US ’s constructive and responsible contribution to the East Sea issue. The General Secretary also stressed that Vietnam continually pursues its foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, cooperation, being an active, trust and responsible member of the United Nations.

Vietnam wants to settle all disputes in the East Sea via peaceful dialogues and respect to international law, especially the 1982 Convention on Law of the Sea and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties, said the Party leader.

VNA