Hanoi (VNA) – The VietnameseGovernment has paid great attention to strengthening cooperation with the US aswell as partnership between Vietnamese localities and US states in areas ofshared interests, said Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

Receiving Nebraska state’s Governor JohnPete Ricketts in Hanoi on September 6, PM Phuc said that Vietnam alwaysconsiders the US as one of its most important partners, and wants to promotethe comprehensive partnership between the two countries in a practical andeffective manner for the sake of their people and for peace, stability,cooperation and development in Asia-Pacific.

Over the years, trade and investment cooperationbetween the two countries have been expanding, with two-way trade surpassing 60billion USD, the PM noted.

Vietnam is working to balance the bilateraltrade, he said, showing his delight that Nebraska has exported many kinds ofgoods to Vietnam, including beef, with growth of 125 percent over the previousyear.

The PM also expressed his hope that throughthe visit, the Nebraska delegation will get better understanding about Vietnam,thus helping to further foster the Vietnam-US relations, especially in economy,trade and investment.

For his part, Ricketts affirmed that the USand Nebraska state in particular are keen on boosting relations with Vietnam.He noted that Nebraska is accommodating a large number of Vietnamese people.

He said that Nebraska is the strongest stateof the US in terms of beef export, with its export turnover to Vietnam triplingas compared to the past.

Highlighting Nebraska’s strength inagriculture, the governor said that cooperation in the field has been discussedwith the Vietnamese ministries and sectors during his visit.

He proposed that the two sides work togetherto remove difficulties and obstacles to boost trade and investment ties, whilesuggesting the organization of an investment promotion conference between thetwo sides in Nebraska, thus helping to accelerate the partnership between thetwo countries.

Agreeing with Ricketts’s idea, PM Phuc said Vietnamalways creates optimal conditions for products of the US and Nebraska inparticular to enter in the country. Vietnam has demand for cooperation inagriculture where Nebraska has strength, he said.

The government leader lauded the cooperationamong agriculture universities of the two nations, describing that this is aright direction for the sustainable development of the sector and providingsafe products for consumers.

PM Phuc expressed his hope that Nebraskawill work as a bridge to connect Vietnam and the US as well as businesses ofboth sides to further develop bilateral relations.

He also expected that the governor will helpto expand bilateral cooperation not only in agriculture but also other sectorssuch as finance-banking, education-training, science-technology, health care,and security-defence.-VNA