(VOVworld) – A discussion about Vietnam-US relations between the US ambassador to Vietnam Ted Osius and US and international scholars was held in Washington DC on Thursday. The event was held by the Center for Strategic and International Studies to mark President Obama’s recent visit to Vietnam.

Ambassador Osius reviewed important events during President Obama’s visit, including the lifting of the US’s arms embargo on Vietnam and agreements to boost cooperation in security, disaster mitigation, settling war aftermath, and combating the illegal wild life trade. Mr. Osius said 20 agreements were signed during President Obama’s visit, far from what he expected: “So what that tells me is the Vietnamese was ready. They’re ready to collaborate with us across the board and all of these different areas. And what it tells me is this: we have a really solid foundation for the next 50-60 years of relationship.”

Concerning the possibility of the US accessing Vietnam’s Cam Ranh port, Mr. Osius said the US respects Vietnam’s defense policy of not joining any military alliance and not being a military ally to any country, or allowing any country to have a military base in Vietnam, and not relying on one country against another. He said if certain conditions are met, the US will make the most of paid services including fuel supply and ship repair at Cam Ranh International Port as Singapore and Japan have done but not to place a military base there.

He said the US wants to have strong partners with the ability to determine and address challenges in the East Sea. He added that ASEAN should have a unified reaction before an upcoming ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration over the Philippines’ lawsuit against China concerning their disputes in the East Sea.

Mr. Osius said the US is speeding up cooperation with Vietnam in clearing bombs and landmines left over from the war and will continue to help Vietnam decontaminate dioxins in a number of localities.