Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam Prasanna Gamage, at special invitation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Viet Nam, attended the International Workshop on “Ho Chi Minh’s Legacy for Vietnamese Cultural Diplomacy” held from 28 to 29 of October 2019 at the Vinh City of the Nghe An Province of Viet Nam, where the late President Ho Chi Minh was born.
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Viet Nam Nguyen Quoc Cuong chaired the Workshop organised by the Ho Chin Minh National Academy of Politics of Viet Nam. The Workshop was also attended by the Ambassadors from Angola, Bangladesh, People’s Republic of China, Cuba, Indonesia and representatives from the Embassies of Argentina, Laos, Mozambique and Ukraine based in Ha Noi. Further, the Head of the UNESCO Office in Ha Noi, Academics from Universities in Viet Nam, former Vietnamese Diplomats and Officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Viet Nam and Provincial Government of Nghe An attended the Workshop.
Ambassador Gamage delivered a speech titled “The Values of Ho Chi Minh’s legacy enhances Viet Nam’s relations with other countries in the World” with special emphasis on Sri Lanka – Viet Nam relations. In his speech, Ambassador Gamage highlighted the legacy of the late President Ho Chi Minh not only as a revolutionary and a statesman but also as a poet, journalist and writer who inspired millions of people all over the World. President Ho Chi Minh’s utmost dedication for peace as a passionate follower of Mahatma Gandhi, and his legacy as a humanist who loved the entirety of mankind, were especially emphasised in Ambassador Gamage’s speech. He also brought back to light President Ho Chi Minh’s belief that the foundation of Viet Nam’s foreign policy should be to be friendly with all democratic nations in the World, in order to sustain peace and stability in the quest for national development of Viet Nam.
Furthermore, Ambassador Gamage highlighted the three visits of President Ho Chi Minh to Sri Lanka, recent advancements of the bilateral relations between Sri Lanka and Viet Nam, the growing international responsibilities of Viet Nam as the Chair of ASEAN for 2020 and its having been elected as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the term of 2020-21.
The delegates to the Workshop also visited the childhood home of late President Ho Chi Minh and paid their respects to the great leader at the Memorial established in his memory at the village.
