Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) - PrimeMinister Nguyen Xuan Phuc held phone talks with US President Donald Trump inHanoi on May 6 at the request of the US side.
The US President highly valued Vietnam's COVID-19 response and thanked Vietnamfor facilitating the supply and transportation of medical equipment as well aspresenting face masks to the US.
He suggestedthe two countries continue working closely together in the COVID-19 fight, expressed his regret about the postponement of the special ASEAN-US summit due to the COVID-19, and hoped the bilateral relations will be further enhanced in the coming time.
For his part, PM Phuc updated President Trump on Vietnam's COVID-19 fight and expressed his sympathies over the losses and difficulties that the US people are facing due to the disease.
However, he said he believes that under the leadership of President Trump, the US will soon curb the diseaseand restart the economy.
The PM spoke highly ofthe bilateral cooperation in coping with the COVID-19, and thanked the US Presidentfor his goodwill to present ventilators to Vietnam as well as to provide financial support for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN),including nearly 10 million USD for Vietnam to improve medical capacity andrehabilitate the economy.
The leaders expressed their satisfaction at the practical progress in the two countries’relations in all fields over the past time.
They said they are glad to see that two-way trade continued to increase in the first quarter of 2020,of which the US exports to Vietnam rose by 17 percent over the same period lastyear.
The two sides agreed tofurther step up bilateral economic-trade relations, while continuously openingmarkets for their goods in the time to come.
They also exchanged ideas on measures to deepen the bilateral comprehensive partnership, especially on theoccasion of the 25th anniversary of diplomatic ties.
President Trump affirmed that the US attaches importance to the comprehensive partnership with Vietnam, and said that the Vietnam-US ties have strongly developed over the past 25 years.
He said he believes in the ties’ further development in the coming time, while expressing his hope to see PM Phuc again.
Earlier, on March 26 and April 28, the two leaders sent letters on COVID-19 to each other.
Also on May 6, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh held phone talks with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, during which they agreed that the Vietnam-US relations continue maintaining the positive development on various aspects, especially economy-trade.
They also agreed to closely coordinate to organise and implement cooperation activities on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the bilateral diplomatic ties in 2020, thereby further deepening the Vietnam-US comprehensive partnership.
Pompeo spoke highly of Vietnam’s role in responding to common challenges, and agreed to increase coordination to promote the ties between ASEAN and the US during the time when Vietnam serves as the ASEAN Chair and a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.Both sides also discussed international and regional issues of common concern./.
