Vietnam hands over remains of US missing servicemen

The Vietnam Office for Seeking Missing Persons (VNOSMP) handed over to the American side the remains of two US service members who died during the Vietnam War. Zalam military airfield in the Vietnamese capital hosted the ceremony on July 9, Report informs, citing TASS.

The current ceremony was the 155th in a row since 1973 when the American military contingent was withdrawn from the territory of Vietnam. The remains of the soldiers were discovered during the 143rd joint search expedition, which took place from April to July in the Vietnamese jungle.

As Christopher Klein, Charge d'affaires of the United States in Vietnam, who was present at the ceremony, noted, Washington highly appreciates the practical cooperation with the government and people of Vietnam to search for American service members who went missing. According to the diplomat, the search for American service members who were reported missing after the Vietnam War is an important area of humanitarian cooperation between the two governments.

According to the official wording of Washington, the return to the homeland of the remains of the dead and missing soldiers is one of the national priorities for the United States. More than 2 thousand American servicemen and civilians were considered missing during the war in Indochina at the time of its end. Over 1,9 thousand did not return from Vietnam, about 500 from Laos, and 90 soldiers disappeared in Cambodia.