Vietnam will always stand by Sri Lanka in the international arena, stated Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang during his bilateral talks with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the Presidential Secretariat today.
He said that Vietnam will always extend its assistance to Sri Lanka in the UN Assemblies, South-South Corporations, Colombo Plan or any other international event.
He pledged Vietnam’s fullest cooperation to Sri Lanka to ensure regional security and elimination of terrorism. He appreciated President Rajapaksa for the first telephone call he has made to the then Vietnamese President to inform of the elimination of terrorism in Sri Lanka in 2009.
Vietnam highly values the high level political relationship that exists between the two countries, he stressed. He pledged to provide Sri Lanka with assistance in defence, defence training, fisheries, petroleum sector, disaster management, and search and rescue missions.
Vietnamese multi-national corporations will be encouraged to invest in Sri Lanka, Mr. Sang noted.
Appreciating Mr. Sang’s visit, the first ever State visit by a Vietnamese leader to Sri Lanka, President Rajapaksa emphasized the close relations between the two countries which have "matured and strengthened on shared values and historical ties".
He expressed his gratitude to the Government of Vietnam for the support and co-operation extended to crack down on illegal activities carried out by the LTTE in the East Asia Region.
"Although we have militarily defeated the LTTE, the sophisticated propaganda machinery supported by some INGOs, operating to tarnish the image of Sri Lanka is of great concern to us… I look forward to your consistent support in the regional/multilateral fora to counter such negative effects", he said.
"Sri Lanka desires to strengthen defence cooperation between the two countries in fighting against the common menace of terrorism. In this context, the conclusion of the Defence Co-operation Agreement between our two countries during this visit would enable to initiate measures for practical cooperation", he added.
Elaborating on trade and investment, President Rajapaksa said that Sri Lanka seeks to engage with Vietnam to create a win-win situation for both countries, capitalizing on mutual advantages. He invited the Vietnamese business community to participate in the Expo 2012 Trade Exhibition in March next year.
Congratulating the Vietnamese President on the success of the 11th Congress of the Communist Party, President Rajapaksa invited the Vietnam Communist Party to establish links with the Sri Lanka Freedom Party. He invited Vietnamese Communist youths to link up with the Sri Lankan youth to further enhance the mutual understanding between the two nations.
Source: The Island, October 15, 2011
