Vietnamese delegation calls on President

A Vietnamese delegation headed by the vice chairperson of the National Assembly of Vietnam, Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan called on President Mahinda Rajapaksa at Temple Trees on Thursday.

“Over the years, we’ve watched the developments in Sri Lanka, and we are very happy at your ability to overcome insurgency,” Ngan said.

President Rajapaksa invited the delegation to visit northern Sri Lanka to see for themselves the development in the region, noting that one of the main problems Sri Lanka faced in the development of the north is the presence of landmines. “It’s been 40 years, and we still haven’t been able to de-mine the whole country,” Ngan said about Vietnam.

While extending an invitation to President Rajapaksa to visit Vietnam again, the delegation also expressed an interest in increasing solidarity and enhancing ties between the two countries because of the cultural and religious similarities. They said Vietnamese Buddhists are also very keen on visiting Sri Lanka on pilgrimages. President Rajapaksa agreed and said that people-to-people contact is the most important factor.

The delegation also included several members of Parliament and the Vietnamese Ambassador in Sri Lanka Ton Sinh Thanh, Secretary-General of Parliament W B D Dasanayake and Secretary of External Affairs Karunatilake Amunugama joined the meeting.