The Vietnamese Prime Minister made this pledge when he met Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama last Friday( 6th March 2009) in Hanoi during the latter's official visit to Vietnam. Minister Bogollagama conveyed the appreciation of the government and the people of Sri Lanka for the active role played by Vietnam in international fora, particularly the UN Security Council in support of Sri Lanka’s efforts to defeat terrorism.
Image: Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama placing a floral wreath at the Mausoleum of the Revolutionary Leader of Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh, during his recent official visit to Vietnam.
Prime Minister Dung further stated that Vietnam and Sri Lanka should intensify their cooperation to reap more practical benefits for both countries, especially in the areas of trade and investment. In this regard,he noted that although bilateral trade and investment between the two countries have increased in the recent past, the full potential has not yet been tapped. Bilateral trade reached US$ 61 million in 2008, marking a 14 % year-on-year increase. He expressed the hope that the visit by the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister would further enhance bilateral relations between the two countries .
He proposed that the second session of the Joint Commission between the two countries should be convened soon, an agreement on investment promotion and protection be signed, as well as intensify exchange of delegations to give new impetus into this relationship.The Vietnamese leader appreciated Sri Lanka’s socio-economic development, particularly its high economic growth rate over the recent years.He added that Sri Lanka could serve as a bridge for Vietnam’s economic, trade and investment cooperation with the rest of the South Asian countries.
Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama briefed the Vietnamese leader on his discussions with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem, during which they agreed to boost relations in trade and investment to match the two countries’ potential, and expand cooperation to other fields such as agriculture, sports and tourism for the mutual benefit of both countries.
The two Foreign Ministers had also agreed to further cooperate at international and regional fora, including the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), Shangri La Dialogue, Non Aligned Movement (NAM) etc. as well as within the UN system.Minister Bogollagama said he greatly appreciated Vietnam’s increased presence in the international fora and its active role as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.
Minister Bogollagama also renewed the Sri Lankan Prime Minister’s invitation for the Vietnamese Prime Minister to visit Sri Lanka and said that Sri Lanka would be pleased to welcome Prime Minister Dung to Sri Lanka in the near future, saying the visit would be a milestone in the two countries’ relations.-Sri Lanka Guardian
 The Prime Minister of Vietnam, Nguyen Tan Dung, has stated that Vietnam is always ready to support...){kind=link}
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