For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
June 21, 2005
President Welcomes Vietnamese Prime Minister to the White House
The Oval Office
10:01 A.M. EDT
PRESIDENT BUSH: There will be two opening statements this
morning. Mr. Prime Minister, welcome. I want to thank you for the
constructive visit we just had. We discussed a wide range of
subjects. We discussed our economic relations. And I noted that the
Vietnamese economy is growing quite substantially. We talked about our
desire for Vietnam to join the WTO. We talked about security issues
and a mutual desire to coordinate in the war on terror.
We talked about humanitarian issues. As the Prime Minister noted,
the United States is supporting the fight against HIV/AIDS in Vietnam,
and he gave me a report on the progress about our mutual desire to help
those who suffer with HIV/AIDS. We signed a landmark agreement that
will make it easier for people to worship freely in Vietnam.
And finally, I want to thank the Prime Minister for his
government's willingness to continue to work on the -- on finding the
remains of those who lost their lives in Vietnam. It's very comforting
to many families here in America to understand that the government is
providing information to help close a sad chapter in their lives.
And finally, the Prime Minister graciously invited me to Vietnam.
I will be going in 2006. I'm looking forward to my trip. I'm also
looking forward to the APEC Summit that Vietnam will be hosting.
Mr. Prime Minister, welcome.
PRIME MINISTER KHAI: (As translated.) Thank you very much Mr.
President, ladies and gentlemen.
At the invitation of President George W. Bush, it gives me the
great pleasure and honor as the first Vietnamese Prime Minister to pay
an official visit to the United States. And this event, in itself,
shows that Vietnam-U.S. relations have in fact entered a new stage of
development. My visit to America this time coincides with the 10th
anniversary of the establishment of our diplomatic relations.
During the talks that I had with Mr. President, Mr. President and I
were pleased to note the significant developments in the two countries'
relations, including the good progress made in addressing the various
issues left over by the past, as well as the various steps to be taken
to expand our relations in the future.
Mr. President and I also shared the view that proceeding from the
interest of the two countries, and given the new developments in the
region and the world, the two countries' relationship should be
enhanced, and we should aim to build a friendly relationship,
constructive partnership, a comprehensive cooperation on a long-term
and stable basis, as well as on the basis of equality, mutual respect
and benefits.
We believe that America can find in Vietnam a potential cooperation
partner. We have a population of 80 million people, which means a huge
market for American businesses. And these people are also very hard
working, creative, and dynamic. And they are now working very hard to
achieve the goal of building Vietnam into a strong country with wealthy
people and a democratic and advanced society.
Vietnam is also actively integrating itself into the world economy,
and wishes to be a friend and reliable partner of all countries in the
international community. I also highly appreciate Mr. President's
strong support for Vietnam's early WTO accession, and we agreed that
Vietnam's accession will be in the benefits of both countries and we
agree to continue with our bilateral negotiations with the aim of
concluding those very soon.
Mr. President and I also agreed that there remain differences
between our two countries due to the different conditions that we have,
the different histories and cultures. But we also agreed that we
should work together through constructive dialogue based upon mutual
respect to reduce those differences in order to improve our bilateral
relations.
On international issues, Mr. President and I exchanged views on the
recent developments in Asia and the Pacific, which we are both
concerned about. And we also agreed on the needs to improve the
effectiveness of APEC for which the 2006 APEC summit in Vietnam will be
an important milestone.
I am also delighted that President Bush has accepted my invitation
to visit Vietnam and to attend the 2006 APEC summit, and we also
welcome your support for the organization of this summit.
I am fully confident that my visit to America this time will help
uplift the relationship between our two countries to a new height. And
may I finally wish America prosperity and happiness to her people.
I thank you, very much, for your time.
PRESIDENT BUSH: Thank you very much.
END 10:11 A.M. EDT
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