Viet Nam, U.S. hold 13th Political-Security-Defense Dialogue

This was the first dialogue of its kind after the two countries upgraded their relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership in September 2023.

The two sides appreciated the effective bilateral coordination in implementing the high-level commitments outlined in the 2023 Joint Statement on the elevation of the relationship.

They expressed their satisfaction with the practical progress made across all areas, including politics-diplomacy, economy-trade, security-defense, as well as culture, education and people-to-people exchanges, thus creating a positive momentum towards the 30th founding anniversary of Viet Nam-U.S. diplomatic relations (1995-2025).

Deputy Minister Ha Kim Ngoc affirmed that Viet Nam considers the U.S. as a partner of strategic importance and welcomed the U.S. commitment to support a strong, independent, self-reliant, and prosperous Viet Nam.

He proposed the two sides enhance coordination to develop the comprehensive strategic partnership framework in a deep, practical and stable manner; increase high-level meetings to maintain stability and positive momentum for the bilateral relations and effectively utilize dialogue mechanisms, including the Political-Security-Defense Dialogue in order to build trust, mutual understanding, and cooperation, while addressing obstacles in the bilateral relationship.

The Vietnamese official also welcomed the inclusion of high-tech cooperation in the dialogue agenda for the first time, contributing to the implementation of collaboration in this breakthrough field, as affirmed in the 2023 Viet Nam-U.S. Joint Statement.

For his part, Jenkins praised the effective implementation of existing agreements on defense and security cooperation and agreed to continue prioritizing the settlement of war consequences in the bilateral relationship.

The U.S. is committed to maintaining resources for collaborating with and supporting Viet Nam in addressing the war aftermath, including dioxin decontamination, bomb and mine clearance, assistance to Agent Orange victims, and the search, gathering, and identification of fallen soldiers' remains.

Jenkins also expressed gratitude to the Vietnamese Government for its active and practical cooperation in the search for missing U.S. servicemen during wartime.

The U.S. will continue to enhance defense and security cooperation with Viet Nam under established frameworks and agreements, suitable to Viet Nam's needs.

This includes cooperation in training, military medicine, peacekeeping, counter-terrorism, and prevention and control of cybersecurity and high-tech crimes.

Regarding international and regional issues of mutual concern, both sides agreed to intensify cooperation for peace, security, collaboration and development in the region and the world.

Jenkins affirmed that the U.S. highly evaluates and prioritizes the Indo-Pacific region and supports ASEAN's central role in the regional architecture.

Notably, she affirmed that the U.S. will continue to work closely with Viet Nam to enhance further the effectiveness of the ASEAN-U.S. Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and the Mekong-U.S. Partnership.

As for the East Sea situation, they stressed the importance of maintaining peace, security, and order at sea, promoting freedom of navigation and overflight.

They emphasized the principle of not using or threatening to use force and solving disputes peacefully in accordance with international law, especially the United Nations Charter and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

The two sides outlined specific measures to maintain the effective implementation of the 2023 Viet Nam-U.S. Joint Statement./.