(VOVworld)- The Vietnamese Embassy in the US on Monday held a meeting to mark the 20th anniversary of Vietnam-US trade relations. Among the US politicians at the event were US Secretary of State John Kerry and Senator John McCain, who exerted great efforts in lobbying the lifting of the embargo on Vietnam in 1994.
Vietnamese Ambassador Nguyen Quoc Cuong addresses the event |
In his address, the Vietnamese Ambassador to the US Nguyen Quoc Cuong quoted President Truong Tan Sang’s letter to former US President Bill Clinton at the time saying that “this decision closed a difficult chapter in the two countries’ history and opened a new era for bilateral ties”. Ambassador Cuong stressed that with courage, belief, wisdom and vision from both sides, Vietnamese -US ties have constantly developed.
US Secretary of State John Kerry and Senator John Mc Cain both highlighted the historic significance of the Clinton administration’s decision on February 3rd, 1994 to lift embargo on Vietnam paving the way for expanding bilateral trade relations, which benefited both countries.
To mark the occasion, former US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton sent a message affirming that she and President Bill Clinton always treasured memories of their trip to Vietnam in 2000, the first trip to Vietnam by a US President. Ms Clinton expressed her impression with Vietnam’s achievements over the past decade: "When I had a chance to return to Hanoi a decade later as the US Secretary of State, I was struck by how far Vietnam has come and how much our relations continued to improve. Our trade has grown to 25 billion USD from almost zero when our relations were normalized and it continues to expand every year creating jobs and opportunities on both sides of the Pacific. Vietnam and the US now have a comprehensive partnership and we're working together on so many issues from protecting the environment of the Lower Mekong Delta to preserving freedom of navigation in the South China Sea".
The former US Secretary of State said that in her recent trip to Vietnam in July, 2012, she had met outstanding people who used to study in the US under the Fullbright Scholarship Program: "When I looked at their faces and heard their stories, I was filled once again with pride in what our countries have accomplished together. The future which those students represent is full of promise and possibility for both the US and Vietnam. So, thank you for the commitment to this relationship. May our next 20 years bring even greater prosperity and progress"
On this occasion, the Vietnamese Embassy held a photo exhibition recording historic moments in the two countries’ relationship over the last 20 years.