United States President Barack Obama, on Monday in Hanoi, announced that U.S. has lifted its decades-old embargo on arms sales to Vietnam.
Obama said during a press conference with his Vietnamese counterpart, Tran Quang that the change would ensure that Vietnam has access to the equipment it needs to defend itself and removed a lingering vestige of the Cold War.
The president warned that lifting the ban does not mean Vietnam can buy arms totally and freely.
Obama insisted that sales would still need to meet strict requirements, including those relating to human rights.
He disclosed that the decision to lift the ban was not based on China or any other considerations.
Obama, however, said he framed it as a desire to complete the process of normalising U.S., Vietnamese relations, following a lengthy war between the two countries in the 1960s and 1970s.
The president said the process began with some very courageous and difficult conversations decades ago, including those led by Secretary of State, John Kerry and other war veterans.
“What became apparent to me and my administration at this point is, given all the work we do together across the spectrum of economic, trade, security, humanitarian efforts.
“It is appropriate for us not to have a blanket, across-the-board ban,” he said.
Obama stressed that there would always be some areas where the two government would disagree, including on democracy and human rights.
He noted that the one-party state of Vietnam had made modest progress in some areas.
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