[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 44, Number 25 (Monday, June 30, 2008)]
[Pages 897-898]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks Following a Meeting With Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung of 
Vietnam

June 24, 2008

    President Bush. Mr. Prime Minister, welcome to the Oval Office. I 
fondly remember my trip to your country. I remember the wonderful 
hospitality that you and your Government gave to Laura and me. I 
remember the thousands of people lining the street in Ho Chi Minh City 
and Hanoi, and it was just a memorable trip. So it's my honor to welcome 
you back here.
    We had a good dialog. We talked about economic cooperation. And we 
talked about educational cooperation. We talked about the need to work 
together on the environment. I thanked the Prime Minister for his work 
on accounting for the POWs and MIAs. We discussed the neighborhood and 
the region. We talked about the freedoms--religious and political 
freedom. And I told the Prime Minister that I thought the strides that 
the Government is making toward religious freedom is noteworthy, and I 
appreciated the efforts that he and his Government are making.
    All in all, we had a very good discussion. Our relationship with 
Vietnam is getting closer, in a spirit of respect. And I thank you for 
coming to help make that relationship even stronger. Welcome.
    Prime Minister Dung. Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen, I would 
like to thank you, Mr. President and American friends, for your warm 
hospitality.
    I would like to tell you that Mr. President and I have just had 
successful talks in a friendly, constructive, and understanding spirit. 
And we took note, with great pleasure, of rapid development in the 
Vietnam-U.S. relationship toward a friendly and constructive 
partnership, multifaceted cooperation on the basis of equality, mutual 
respect, and mutual benefit. We agreed with each other on a wide range 
of issues, which will be fully reflected in our adjoined statement.
    And now I would like to give you some highlights of our 
conversation. Mr. President and I agreed to establish a new dialog 
mechanism at the senior level on the strategic matters of economics, 
education, environment, science, defense, and security. And President 
Bush reiterated his support for Vietnam's sovereignty, security, and 
territorial integrity.
    We agreed to establish a high-level education task force to 
effectively advance the education cooperation between our two countries. 
The two sides also agreed to set up a new subcommittee to assist Vietnam 
in conducting researches to respond to the climate change and the rising 
sea level.
    And President Bush reaffirmed that the U.S. is actively reviewing 
Vietnam's request to join the GSP program and acknowledged Vietnam's 
request to be accorded the market economy status. The U.S. is also 
considering the import of fruits from Vietnam. Also, the two sides 
agreed to commence negotiations on a bilateral investment treaty.
    Both sides also agreed to strengthen cooperation to address 
humanitarian issues left over by the war, such as the American MIA 
issue, mine clearing, remediation of the Agent Orange consequences, the 
Vietnamese MIA issue.
    Ladies and gentlemen, my visit to the U.S. this time is the followup 
of the foreign policy of independence and sovereignty, diversification 
and multilateralization of our external relations. Vietnam wants to be 
friends with all country and trusted partners with all nations and 
nationalities in the international community. And along that line, 
with--Vietnam will continue to strengthen the fine relationship between 
Vietnam and the United States under the framework defined by the two 
countries' leaders.
    I hope that with the fruitful outcome of my visit, the Vietnam-U.S. 
relationship will be elevated to new heights in the interest of both 
peoples, of peace, stability, and development cooperation in the region 
and the world.
    Thank you, Mr. President.
    President Bush. Thank you. Yes, sir.

[[Page 898]]

Note: The President spoke at 1:53 p.m. in the Oval Office at the White 
House. Prime Minister Dung spoke in Vietnamese, and his remarks were 
translated by an interpreter.