Hanoi (VNA) – Politburo member and permanentmember of the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat Tran Quoc Vuong welcomed adelegation of US senators, led by Vice Chairman of the US Senate Committee onAppropriations Patrick Leahy, during a reception in Hanoi on April 18 to markthe beginning of their visit to Vietnam.

Vuong conveyed his thanks to US parliamentarians, includingLeahy, for their important contributions to the normalisation and developmentof Vietnam-US ties over the years.

He believed that the visit will promote bilateral ties,especially as the two countries are looking to celebrate the 25th anniversaryof the normalisation of bilateral ties in 2020.

The host affirmed the Vietnamese Party and State’sconsistent policy of treasuring ties with the US. He also suggested that bothsides facilitate the exchange of all-level visits and improve the efficiency ofcooperation in diverse areas, especially in economy, trade, education-training,and post-war recovery, contributing to further strengthening Vietnam-UScomprehensive partnership.

Leahy, for his part, spoke highly of Vietnam’s role andsignificant contributions to regional and global issues.

Welcoming the substantial and effective development ofVietnam-US ties in recent years, he affirmed that the US wants to further solidifyits comprehensive partnership with Vietnam in a wide range of areas, includingaddressing the consequences of war.

The guest pledged to continue with these post-war recovery effortsin Vietnam, including work on the Bien Hoa airport remediation project,providing support for Agent Orange/dioxin victims, and searching for informationabout Vietnamese soldiers missing in action during the war.–VNA