On the afternoon of January 12, at the Presidential Palace, Politburo Member, President Luong Cuong received US Ambassador to Vietnam Marc Knapper to say goodbye on the occasion of the end of his term of office.
Congratulating Ambassador Marc Knapper on successfully concluding his term in Vietnam with many positive results, President Luong Cuong reviewed some outstanding events in Vietnam-US relations during the period Ambassador Marc Knapper worked in Vietnam, including the two countries upgrading relations to the level of Comprehensive Strategic Partnership - the highest level of cooperation in Vietnam's foreign policy; highly appreciating the Ambassador's positive contributions contributing to bringing relations to continue to develop effectively, sustainably, and go deeper on the basis of respecting each other's independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, political institutions and mutual benefit.
The President also expressed his impression of the affection that Ambassador Marc Knapper has for the country, people and culture of Vietnam; and thanked the Government and the US Embassy for supporting more than 2 million USD for Vietnamese localities affected by natural disasters in the past year; emphasizing that this is a noble gesture, showing the humanitarian spirit and timely sharing of the Government and people of the United States for the Vietnamese people in difficult times.
Regarding cooperation in overcoming the consequences of war, the President assessed this as a bright spot and a particularly important task to help build trust, promote reconciliation and enhance mutual understanding between the two sides; and acknowledged the persistent efforts of Ambassador Marc Knapper and requested the two sides to continue to strengthen cooperation in this field.
On this occasion, President Luong Cuong affirmed that Vietnam consistently implements the foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralization, diversification, being a friend, a reliable partner and an active and responsible member of the international community.
Vietnam always values relations with the US, wishing to continue to expand relations in an increasingly substantive direction, going into depth in many fields, from politics - diplomacy, economy - trade, security - defense, education, people-to-people exchanges, science - technology, humanitarian affairs, overcoming the consequences of war, commensurate with the potential and meeting the needs and interests of the people of the two countries.
Sincerely thanking the President for taking the time to receive him, Ambassador Marc Knapper expressed his agreement with the President's assessments of Vietnam-US relations; and shared his pride and joy in witnessing and contributing to helping bilateral relations develop more and more substantively.
Ambassador Marc Knapper believes that the Vietnam-US Comprehensive Strategic Partnership will continue to grow stronger, and continue to be a model in international relations for reconciliation, putting aside the past, and moving towards the future.
Ambassador Marc Knapper affirmed that, in any position, he will continue to be a friend of Vietnam and contribute to the deep development of the two countries' relations on both bilateral, regional and international levels.
