To Lam meets with U.S. House lawmakers

To Lam highly valued the affection and support extended by the U.S. Congress, including Representative Gregory Meeks, to Viet Nam and bilateral relations.

He affirmed that Viet Nam considers the U.S. one of its lpartners of strategic importance and wishes to further deepen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with the U.S. in a stable, substantive and effective manner.

Emphasizing the important role of the two legislatures in strengthening the political foundation, enhancing mutual understanding and building trust between the two countries, To Lam called on Representative Meeks and the U.S. Congress to continue supporting bilateral relations and promote exchanges between specialized committees, friendship parliamentary groups and congressional staff.

Meeks welcomed the positive development of Viet Nam-U.S. relations and affirmed the importance he attaches to ties with Viet Nam and parliamentary cooperation. He expressed his wish to further promote exchanges and cooperation between the two legislatures, contributing to the advancement of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

Regarding economic and trade cooperation, To Lam described it as a pillar and important driver of bilateral relations. He called on the two sides to promote free, fair, balanced and sustainable trade and work toward early conclusion of a reciprocal, fair and balanced trade agreement.

Viet Nam also wishes to strengthen cooperation with the U.S. in science and technology, innovation, digital transformation and high-tech industries, he said.

The Party and State leader called on the U.S. Congress to continue supporting bilateral cooperation in addressing war consequences, defence and security, local-level cooperation and people-to-people exchanges.

He also called for continued support for the Vietnamese community in the U.S. so that they can further develop, make positive contributions to its host country and serve as a bridge of friendship between the two countries.

Meeks agreed with the proposals of General Secretary and President To Lam and affirmed his support for maintaining the positive momentum in Viet Nam-U.S. relations and promoting the role of the two legislatures in advancing bilateral cooperation.

He pledged to continue contributing to strengthening mutual understanding and trust in a bid to further advance the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in a stable, substantive and effective manner.

At the meeting, the U.S. side expressed appreciation for Viet Nam's active and responsible cooperation in the search for, recovery and identification of the remains of American servicemen missing in action (MIA) during the war.

The U.S. side pledged to further support Viet Nam in addressing war consequences, including unexploded ordnance clearance, dioxin remediation and assistance for people with disabilities.

The U.S. side also pledged to accompany Viet Nam in implementing the 500-day campaign to search for, recover and identify the remains of Vietnamese fallen soldiers whose information remains incomplete or who are still missing from the war./.