Deputy Commander of the US Army visits Vietnam
Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnamese People’s Army, Lt. Gen. Vo Van Tuan received in Hanoi on July 1 deputy commander of the US Army, Pacific, Gari Her.
Major General Gari Her congratulated Vietnam on its establishment of a peace-keeping centre and dispatch of officials to join the UN peace-keeping mission.
He said he hopes the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence will approve the proposals made during the third Vietnam-US army consultation.
The officer also expressed his deep concern over China’s illegal and unilateral placement of its oil rig Haiyang Shiyou-981 in Vietnam’s waters, and said that the US State Secretary has officially asked China to withdraw its drilling rig from Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf.
The US continues keeping a close watch and supporting Vietnam to struggle against China’s wrongful acts by peaceful means and in line with international law, he said.
For his part, the Vietnamese officer thanked the US for its support in protesting China’s illegal acts in the East Sea, especially its support at international forums, including the recent Shangri La Dialogue in Singapore.
He suggested both sides map out long-term cooperation plans and said he hopes the US will share experience in building strong army units to cope with natural calamities and diseases.-VNA
