(VOVworld) – In a reception in Hanoi on Wednesday, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung told new US ambassador to Vietnam Theodore Osius that Vietnam wants to deepen bilateral ties with the US, contributing to peace, stability, cooperation, and development in the region and world. He proposed that the two countries implement 9 areas of cooperation within the framework of their comprehensive partnership. In 2015 the two countries will increase the exchange of high-level talks, commemorate 20 years of normalized ties, and boost cooperation in economics, trade, and investment. Prime Minister Dung asked the US to be flexible in TPP negotiations for early completion and signing, adding that once the agreement is signed, it will bring practical benefits to both countries.

The US ambassador pledged to promote the comprehensive partnership between the US and Vietnam during his term. He conveyed President Barack Obama’s message, which praised the results of talks with Prime Minister Dung on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit in Myanmar last year and reiterated US support for Vietnam’s prosperity and independence. He said that the US wants to become Vietnam’s number one investor and trading partner. As a Vietnam observer for quite a long time, Osius said he recognized Vietnam’s considerable progress in ensuring human and citizen rights and expressed his support for Vietnam’s building of a socialist state governed by law. He added that the US supports Vietnam’s stance on regional security issues and that President Obama is trying to lift the ban on arms sales to Vietnam.