The United States is strengthening Vietnam’s defenses. Their minister announced a new strategic approach to cooperation to celebrate thirty years of building diplomatic relations.
The United States wants to deepen military cooperation with Vietnam, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Sunday at the beginning of his visit to Hanoi. The trip comes amid protracted negotiations over the possible delivery of US military equipment to a country that was once Washington’s enemy. TASR informs about it according to the reports of the Reuters and AP agencies.
Hegseth’s visit is taking place on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, as well as two years since their cooperation was elevated to the level of a comprehensive strategic partnership.
Mitigating the consequences of war
During the trip, the American minister emphasized that the United States remains committed to continuing the partnership aimed at mitigating the consequences of the Vietnam War. Addressing the legacy of a war that ended more than 50 years ago “continues to be the foundation of our defense relationship and the highest priority of this (U.S.) administration and the Department of Defense,” Hegseth said.
Cooperation in the removal of remnants of war has long been a key pillar of US-Vietnamese ties. Since the normalization of relations in 1995, the two countries have worked together to remove unexploded ordnance, identify the remains of missing soldiers, and decontamination of dioxin, which continues to negatively affect local citizens.
However, these projects have recently been threatened by cuts in US funding, temporarily halting some work. According to analysts, however, Friday’s signing of an agreement on deepening cooperation in eliminating the consequences of the war could contribute to the stabilization of relations and create space for deeper defense cooperation.
They are trying to diversify
Vietnam, which has long relied on Russian weapons for armaments, has been trying to diversify its resources for several years. Negotiations with the United States, which lifted an arms embargo against Hanoi in 2016, have intensified during the administration of President Joe Biden, but have not yet yielded major agreements on larger contracts, Reuters noted.
According to a statement from Vietnam’s Ministry of Defense, the two sides agreed to continue security cooperation, including military coordination.
