Vietnam and the US on September 25 marked the 25th anniversary oftheir cooperation in searching for remains of US servicemen who diedduring the war in Vietnam.
The commemoratingceremony was held in Hanoi jointly by the Vietnam Office for SeekingMissing Personnel and US Department of Defence’s Joint POW/MIAAccounting Command.
Addressing the event, DeputyForeign Minister Ha Kim Ngoc made it clear that the MIA search was thefirst field of cooperation between the two countries after the warended, which laid the initial foundation for the normalisation ofVietnam-US relations in 1995. Cooperative activities in this fields arestill contributing to the multifaceted cooperation between the twocountries, he said.
He affirmed Vietnam ’s policyto put the past aside and look to the future, opening up a new chapterof friendship and cooperation in the two countries’ relations.
The senior diplomat asked the US side to increase support forVietnam in solving war legacies such as bomb and mine clearance, AgentOrange detoxification and search for Vietnamese soldiers’ remains,adding that Vietnam appreciates the assistance the US has providedin these fields over the past time.
He saidcooperation in humanitarian activities will continue to be the twocountries’ priority, especially when the two sides have established acomprehensive partnership.
US Ambassador to VietnamDavid B. Shear expressed thanks to Vietnamese Government for itseffective cooperation over the past 25 years in searching and recoveringthe remains of US servicemen missing in the war, expressing his hope tocontinue cooperating with the country in the pursuit for the sharedhumanitarian objective.
He also briefed theattendees on the fine development of the two countries’ all-roundedties, expressing wish that the two sides will deepen ties across theboard between the US and Vietnam.
Major GeneralKelly McKeague from the US Department of Defence and the Joint POW/MIAAccounting Command, recognised the valuable support from VietnameseGovernment as well as provincial authorities and people of Vietnamin the search for missing service members from the war.
“Without extending your hand in friendship and overcoming the legacyof war, our successes of the past 25 years would not have beenpossible,” he said, adding that the US is not alone in thishumanitarian mission, as an estimated 300,000 Vietnamese who lost theirlives still remain unaccounted for.
He said the USis pleased to provide information in its possession or discovered byresearchers in the US archives that could be helpful in Vietnam ’sefforts to identify the dead.
Ann Mills Griffiths,Chairman of the National League of Families of American Prisoners andMissing in Southeast Asia, in her letter sent to the ceremony, expressedher deep appreciation for the cooperation Vietnam has provided inthe humanitarian work over the decades.
She affirmedthe joint success of Vietnam and the US in the field has set anexample for countries to work constructively together in a spirit ofhumanitarian cooperation and good will.-VNA
The commemoratingceremony was held in Hanoi jointly by the Vietnam Office for SeekingMissing Personnel and US Department of Defence’s Joint POW/MIAAccounting Command.
Addressing the event, DeputyForeign Minister Ha Kim Ngoc made it clear that the MIA search was thefirst field of cooperation between the two countries after the warended, which laid the initial foundation for the normalisation ofVietnam-US relations in 1995. Cooperative activities in this fields arestill contributing to the multifaceted cooperation between the twocountries, he said.
He affirmed Vietnam ’s policyto put the past aside and look to the future, opening up a new chapterof friendship and cooperation in the two countries’ relations.
The senior diplomat asked the US side to increase support forVietnam in solving war legacies such as bomb and mine clearance, AgentOrange detoxification and search for Vietnamese soldiers’ remains,adding that Vietnam appreciates the assistance the US has providedin these fields over the past time.
He saidcooperation in humanitarian activities will continue to be the twocountries’ priority, especially when the two sides have established acomprehensive partnership.
US Ambassador to VietnamDavid B. Shear expressed thanks to Vietnamese Government for itseffective cooperation over the past 25 years in searching and recoveringthe remains of US servicemen missing in the war, expressing his hope tocontinue cooperating with the country in the pursuit for the sharedhumanitarian objective.
He also briefed theattendees on the fine development of the two countries’ all-roundedties, expressing wish that the two sides will deepen ties across theboard between the US and Vietnam.
Major GeneralKelly McKeague from the US Department of Defence and the Joint POW/MIAAccounting Command, recognised the valuable support from VietnameseGovernment as well as provincial authorities and people of Vietnamin the search for missing service members from the war.
“Without extending your hand in friendship and overcoming the legacyof war, our successes of the past 25 years would not have beenpossible,” he said, adding that the US is not alone in thishumanitarian mission, as an estimated 300,000 Vietnamese who lost theirlives still remain unaccounted for.
He said the USis pleased to provide information in its possession or discovered byresearchers in the US archives that could be helpful in Vietnam ’sefforts to identify the dead.
Ann Mills Griffiths,Chairman of the National League of Families of American Prisoners andMissing in Southeast Asia, in her letter sent to the ceremony, expressedher deep appreciation for the cooperation Vietnam has provided inthe humanitarian work over the decades.
She affirmedthe joint success of Vietnam and the US in the field has set anexample for countries to work constructively together in a spirit ofhumanitarian cooperation and good will.-VNA
