Sunday Dec 22, 2024
Sunday Dec 22, 2024
Wednesday, 31 March 2021 03:30 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Sri Lanka and Vietnam discussed a range of cooperation efforts, including promoting investment and trade between the two countries during a high level meeting, the President’s Media Division (PMD) said yesterday.
The newly appointed Ambassador of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to Sri Lanka Ho Thi Thanh Truc presented her credentials to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the Presidential Secretariat yesterday.
President Rajapaksa and the new Vietnamese Ambassador thereafter exchanged views on the current status of bilateral relations and the development of future cooperation between the two countries for a while. Conveying best wishes of the Vietnamese Government and its people to President Rajapaksa, the Ambassador added that Vietnam has made relations with Sri Lanka a top priority.
The Ambassador thanked Sri Lanka for its support during the troubled times in her country. Ambassador Truc added she would do everything in her power to further strengthen cooperation and friendship between the two countries during her tenure.
Appreciating the long-standing friendship between Vietnam and Sri Lanka, the President briefed the Ambassador on the social and economic vision of his Government.
“Agro-economic development, poverty alleviation and raising the income level of the rural people are some of our priorities. Plans are now in motion to achieve that goal. The ultimate objective is to achieve a higher level of standard of living for all social strata such as low-income, middle-income, rural and urban. We do not look at development from an ethnic point of view. We consider all the people as a whole,” the President said.
President Rajapaksa noted that farmers in every nook and corner have benefited from the high price guaranteed for paddy and other crops. He highlighted that after the defeat of the separatist terrorism; no one was killed in terrorist violence and paved the way for enormous development in the country.
The President invited Vietnam to explore and take advantage of the investment opportunities in the Sri Lankan economy, pointing out that trade and tourism industries between the two countries could be further developed.
The Vietnamese Ambassador assured that she would give high priority towards encouraging Vietnamese entrepreneurs to invest in Sri Lanka and to develop the trade and tourism sectors.
Diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and Vietnam were established on 21 July 1970.
Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, Secretary to the President P.B. Jayasundera, Foreign Secretary Admiral Jayanath Colombage and Deputy Chief of Mission Vietnam Tran Thron Than were also present.
