Vietnamese delegation calls on President

A Vietnamese delegation headed by National Assembly of Vietnam Vice Chairperson Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan called on President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Thursday at Temple Trees.

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

Rajapaksa invited the delegation to visit the north and witness the developments of the region, noting that one of the main problems Sri Lanka faced during the development process was the buried landmines.

Speaking of Vietnam, Ngan said: “It has been 40 years, and we still haven’t been able to de-mine the entire country.”

While extending an invitation to the President to visit Vietnam again, the delegation also expressed an interest in increasing solidarity and enhancing ties between the two countries, due to the similarities of cultural and religious. They said Vietnamese Buddhists are also very keen to visit Sri Lanka on pilgrimages.

President Rajapaksa agreed that people-to-people contact is the most important factor. The delegation included several members of the Parliament together with the Vietnamese Ambassador in Sri Lanka Ton Sinh Thanh, Secretary-General of Parliament W.B.D. Dasanayake and External Affairs Secretary Karunatilake Amunugama.