U.S. to lifts arms ban on VN

VGP – The U.S. has decided to fully lift its arms embargo for Viet Nam, said Vietnamese State President Tran Dai Quang.

May 23, 2016 1:40 PM GMT+7

State President Quang (R) and U.S. President B. Obama, May 23, 2016 - Photo: VNA

Viet Nam, said State President Quang, highly appreciated the decision, regarding this as a vivid evidence for the full normalization of ties between the two countries.

Mr. Quang made the point on May 23 in Ha Noi at a press conference with U.S. President Barack Obama.

For his part, Mr. Obama announced that “the U.S. would completely remove its ban on lethal weapons to Viet Nam which had been imposed around 50 years.”

The move would eliminate the prolonged vestige of the Cold War, he said, assessing that the bilateral ties have reached a level of trust and cooperation.

President Obama is the third U.S. President to visit Viet Nam since the two countries normalized their relations in 1995, following Bill Clinton in 2000 and George W.Bush in 2006.

The President’s official visit to Viet Nam is expected to enhance the Viet Nam-U.S. comprehensive partnership, boost the implementation of high-level agreements reached by the two countries, seek measures and orientations to step up bilateral ties, and discuss regional and international issues of shared concern./.

By Kim Loan