Top legislator hosts US Ambassador

National Assembly Chairman Vương Đình Huệ (right) and US Ambassador to Việt Nam Marc E. Knapper had a meeting on Thursday in Hà Nội. — VNA/VNS Photo Doãn Tấn

HÀ NỘI — National Assembly Chairman Vương Đình Huệ received US Ambassador to Việt Nam Marc E. Knapper in Hà Nội on Thursday.

The NA leader said the US is one of the most important partners of Việt Nam not only bilaterally but also globally. He affirmed that Việt Nam wants to promote relations with the US via all channels, from political party, government, and parliament to people-to-people exchanges.  

Chairman Huệ thanked the US and its investors for their continued attention and trust in the Vietnamese market, thanked the US Government and people for supporting Việt Nam in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Huệ hailed the great contributions that many US senators and congressmen have made to the normalisation and development of the Việt Nam-US relationship, citing as examples late senator John McCain, former senator John Kerry and president pro tempore of the US Senate Patrick Leahy.

He asked the US ambassador to help further promote the ties between the two countries’ parliaments to be commensurate with the Việt Nam-US comprehensive partnership.

Knapper said a number of US senators and congressmen have expressed strong interest and a wish to play a role in promoting not only the US-Việt Nam relations but also the ties between the law making bodies of the two countries.

He informed that the president pro tempore of the US Senate, Patrick Leahy, will again visit Việt Nam late this year, followed by former senator John Kerry, saying that he wants to coordinate closely with the Vietnamese NA’s agencies to ensure the success of those visits.  

The ambassador also took the occasion to reveal that the US House of Representatives is working to establish a group of US-Việt Nam friendship parliamentary group similar to the Việt Nam-US Friendship Parliamentary Group in the Vietnamese National Assembly. The formation of the group is intended to stir the interest in Việt Nam among members of the House and promote exchanges and contacts between legislative bodies of the two countries, he said. — VNS