New York (VNA) – Vietnam wants to have morecooperation projects with the US in order to deepen relations between the twocountries and promoting ASEAN-US ties for peace, stability, cooperation anddevelopment in the region, a Vietnamese diplomat has said.

In a recent working session in Washington between ASEAN countries’ ambassadors tothe US with representatives of the US Trade andDevelopment Agency (USTDA) and the Export-Import Bank of the US(EXIM), Vietnamese Ambassador Ha Kim Ngoc highly valued the ASEAN-US strategicpartnership, adding that Vietnam attaches great importance to its comprehensivepartnership with the US.

He mentioned a number of priority areas of ASEAN and Vietnam such as energyinfrastructure development, transportation, agriculture and health, and asked theUS side to develop an overall cooperation strategy with a long-term vision,goals and commitments in Southeast Asia, and see ASEAN as a priority partner.

Ngoc also suggested the US intensify consultations with partners in the region atthe government level, as well as authorities and stakeholders at local levels.He also called for the US’s support in human resource training, and technicalassistance and cooperation programmes with ASEAN's master infrastructuredevelopment plans as well as cooperation plans between ASEAN and its partnerssuch as Japan and Australia.

Sharing the same view, the ambassadors of other ASEAN nations welcomed the roleof the USTDA and EXIM in promoting regional cooperation, while pointing out theirpriorities in infrastructure development.

For his part, USTDA Acting Director Thomas Hardy thanked and acknowledgedVietnam’s recommendations and contributions as well as opinions from otherASEAN countries, stressing that ASEAN is a cooperation priority for the US administrationin the framework of its Indo-Pacific Strategy (IPS).

As one of the IPS enforcement agencies, the USTDA promotes the construction offeasible projects to support sustainable and high-quality infrastructuredevelopment in Southeast Asia, especially projects in the fields of energy,transport, information technology and health, he stressed.

Hardy said the USTDA welcomes ASEAN countries to share priorities in specificfields and looks forward to ASEAN's support for and cooperation with the USTDAto organise the Indo-Pacific Business Forum scheduled for November 2020 inHanoi, Vietnam.

Meanwhile, EXIM President Kimberly Reed updated the ASEAN ambassadors on financialopportunities for the private sector through direct lending, guaranteed loans,and export credit for small businesses.

She affirmed that EXIM is ready to join the USTDA in seeking and strengtheningcooperation with ASEAN countries, expressing her thanks to Vietnam as the Chairof ASEAN in 2020 for its appropriate proposals to promote cooperation betweenthe bloc and the two US agencies./.