U.S. Senate Considers Lifting Vietnam Weapons Embargo

In a recent visit to Hanoi, U.S. Senator Bob Corker said that the U.S. Senate is considering overturning the 40-year-old lethal weapons ban embargo on Vietnam, reports Tuoi Tre.

Corker, who is a ranking member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, made the statement during a meeting with Vietnamese Deputy Defense Minister, Senior Lieutenant General Truong Quang Khanh. 

File photo of U.S Senator Bob Corker.

Talk of an end to the embargo comes against the backdrop of Trans Pacific Trade Agreement (TPP) which, if agreed upon, would create a strong link between the American and Vietnamese economies.

“The U.S. senator said the promotion of the Vietnam-U.S. rapport in various areas will contribute to peace and stability in Southeast Asia and the world at large,” wrote the paper.

If the embargo is indeed lifted, it will be interesting how Vietnam’s main arms supplier, Russia, reacts given recent tensions with the U.S. over the conflict in Eastern Ukraine.

[Tuoi Tre]