For Immediate Release
The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
July 25, 2013
Oval Office
11:30 A.M. EDT
PRESIDENT OBAMA: It is my pleasure to welcome President
Truong Tan Sang to the White House and to the Oval Office for his first
bilateral meeting with me. This represents the steady progression and
strengthening of the relationship between our two countries.
Obviously, we all recognize the
extraordinarily complex history between the United States and Vietnam.
Step by step, what we have been able to establish is a degree of mutual respect
and trust that has allowed us now to announce a comprehensive partnership
between our two countries that will allow even greater cooperation on a whole
range of issues from trade and commerce to military-to-military cooperation, to
multilateral work on issues like disaster relief, to scientific and educational
exchanges.
What we've also discussed is
the ways in which through the Trans-Pacific Partnership -- or TPP -- both the
United States and Vietnam are participating in what will be an extraordinarily
ambitious effort to increase trade, commerce and transparency in terms of
commercial relationships throughout the Asia Pacific region. And we're
committed to the ambitious goal of completing this agreement before the end of
the year because we know that this can create jobs and increase investment
across the region and in both our countries.
We discussed the need for
continued efforts to resolve peacefully maritime issues that have surfaced in
the South China Sea and other parts of the Asia Pacific region. And we
very much appreciate Vietnam’s commitment to working with ASEAN and the East
Asia Summit in order for us to arrive at Codes of Conduct that will help to
resolve these issues peacefully and fairly.
We discussed the challenges
that all of us face when it comes to issues of human rights, and we emphasized
how the United States continues to believe that all of us have to respect
issues like freedom of expression, freedom of religion, freedom of assembly.
And we had a very candid conversation about both the progress that Vietnam is
making and the challenges that remain.
We both reaffirmed the efforts
that have been made to deal with war legacy issues. We very much
appreciate Vietnam's continued cooperation as we try to recover our Missing in
Action and those that were lost during the course of the war. And I
reaffirmed the United States' commitment to work with Vietnam around some of
the environmental and health issues that have continued, decades later, because
of the war.
Finally, we agreed that one of
the great sources of strength between our two countries is the Vietnamese
American population that is here but obviously has continued strong ties to
Vietnam. And ultimately, it's those people-to-people relations that are the
glue that can strengthen the relationship between any two countries.
So I just want to say to President
Sang how much I appreciate his visit. I think it signifies the maturing
and the next stage of the development between the United States and
Vietnam. As we increase consultation, increase cooperation, increase
trade, and scientific and education exchanges, ultimately, that’s going to be
good for the prosperity and opportunities of the people here in the United
States, as well as good for the opportunities and prosperity of the people of
Vietnam.
At the conclusion of the
meeting, President Sang shared with me a copy of a letter sent by Ho Chi Minh
to Harry Truman. And we discussed the fact that Ho Chi Minh was actually
inspired by the U.S. Declaration of Independence and Constitution, and the
words of Thomas Jefferson. Ho Chi Minh talks about his interest in
cooperation with the United States. And President Sang indicated that
even if it's 67 years later, it's good that we're still making progress.
Thank you very much for your
visit. And I look forward to continued work together.
PRESIDENT SANG: (As interpreted.) Once again, I would like to thank you,
President Obama, for your kind invitation extended to me to visit the United
States as well as the warm hospitality that you have extended to me over the
past couple of days while I'm here in the U.S.
To be frank, President Obama
and I had a very candid, open, useful and constructive discussion. Given
the progress of our bilateral relationship over the past 18 years, it is time
now to form a comprehensive partnership in order to further strengthen our
relations in various areas.
We discussed various matters,
including political relations, science and technology, education, defense, the
legacy of the war issue, environment, the Vietnamese-American community, human
rights as well -- and the East Sea as well.
In a candid, open and
constructive spirit, we have come to agree on many issues. We will
strengthen high-level exchanges between the two countries. We will
consider in order to continue our -- to upgrade the mechanism of cooperation at
the high level, as well as take the best use of the existing mechanism of
cooperation. Particularly, we will continue regular dialogue at the
highest level as possible. I believe that this is the way in order to
build a political trust for further development of our cooperation in all
areas.
Economic and trade relation
continue to be important to our relations. As far as TPP is concerned,
the Vietnamese side will do its upmost in order to participate in the process
of negotiations for the conclusion of TPP by the end of this year.
We also discussed in detail our
cooperation in science and technology, in education and training, as well as
security and defense. We also touched upon the war legacy issue,
including human rights, which we still remain -- which we still have
differences on the issue.
I also expressed my
appreciation for the care that the U.S. has extended to the Vietnamese who came
to settle in the United States and now they have become American citizens and
contributing to the overall development of the U.S. And thanks to the
support and assistance from the U.S. government as well as the American people,
the Vietnamese-American community here in the U.S. has become more and more
prosperous and successful in their life as well as work.
And I also would like to take
this opportunity to convey a message from our government to the
Vietnamese-American community here in the U.S. that we would like to see you
contributing more and more to the friendship between our two countries as well
as further development of our relationship in the future.
We also discussed in detail the
issue of the East Sea. We appreciate and welcome the U.S. support for our
stance in this matter, as well as the stance of ASEAN related to this
particular matter, and we appreciate the U.S. support to solving the matter by
peaceful means in accordance with international law, DOC, and moving toward
COC. We welcome the United States’ support as well as other countries’
support in the matter in order to ensure peace, stability, prosperity not only
in the East Sea but also in the Asia Pacific and the world at large.
Last but not least, I also, on
behalf of our government and our state, to extend to President Obama our
invitation to visit Vietnam. And President Obama has accepted our invitation
and will try his best to pay a visit to Vietnam during his term.
And, once again, I would like
to thank President Obama and all of the American people for their warm
hospitality extended to me during this trip to the United States. And I
believe that our cooperation will continue to strengthen for the mutual
interest and benefit of our people.
Thank you.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Thank you very much, everybody.
END
11:50 A.M. EDT
11:50 A.M. EDT
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Video:
Published on Jul 25, 2013
President Obama and President
Truong Tan Sang of Vietnam speak to the press after a bilateral meeting in the
Oval Office. July 25, 2013.
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