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Fullest cooperation to ensure regional security:
Vietnam pledges to stand by SL
*Two countries to capitalize on
mutual advantages
*Vietnam corporations encouraged to
invest in SL
Vietnam will always stand by Sri Lanka in the international arena,
stated Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang during his bilateral
discussion with President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the Presidential
Secretariat yesterday.
He said Vietnam will always extend its assistance to Sri Lanka in the
UN Assemblies, South-South corporation, Colombo Plan and 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 had 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, the Vietnamese President 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, he noted.
Appreciating the Vietnamese President’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 crackdown 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 and 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 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
youths to further enhance the mutual understanding between the two
nations. Courtesy PRIU |
