US reaffirms commitment to enhancing ties with Vietnam

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) – US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Monday reaffirmed his country’s commitment to strengthening ties with Vietnam.

Austin and Vietnam's minister of national Defense, Phan Van Giang, held a meeting at the Pentagon which coincided with the one-year anniversary of the elevation of US-Vietnam relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership.

"It's been nearly a year since President (Joe) Biden's historic visit to Vietnam, when our leaders elevated US-Vietnam relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership.

"Today we'll build on that momentum by signing a new joint vision statement which charts how our countries will deepen our defense cooperation in the years ahead," Austin said.

They discussed opportunities to deepen defense cooperation, including in defense trade, industrial base resilience, and information sharing.

The officials signed an Updated Joint Vision Statement on United States - Viet Nam Defense Relations to lay out a roadmap for the future of the defense partnership.