President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s official visit to Vietnam, the first one made by a top leader of Sri Lanka, will open a new stage of bilateral cooperation, said State President Nguyen Minh Triet in his talks with the Sri Lankan head of state on Thursday in Ha Noi.
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Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet shakes hand with Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapaksain their meeting in Ha Noi, October 22, 2009
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Following the welcoming ceremony, a high-ranking talk was held in Ha Noi.
President Nguyen Minh Triet asserted that the first visit made by a top leader of Sri Lanka is an important impetus to place the bilateral relationship on a new plane.
He stressed that Vietnam always wants to cement and deepen traditional friendship and multicoated cooperation with Sri Lanka.
Congratulating victories of Sri Lanka in counter-terrorism war, Mr. Triet strongly believed that Sri Lanka will gain great advancements in its national reconstruction.
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Viet Nam and Sri Lanka open a State-level talks, co-chaired by President Nguyen Minh Triet and President Mahinda Rajapaksa, in Ha Noi, October 22, 2009
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For his part, President Mahinda Rajapaksa showed his pleasure to visit Vietnam and lauded the re-opening of the Vietnamese resident representative office in Colombo in 2010.
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Vietnamese Minister of Planning and Investment Vo Hong Phuc and Sri Lankan Minister of Enterprise Development and Investment Promotion Sarath Amunugama sign an agreement on investment encouragement and protection
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The two leaders agreed to further enhance the exchange of high-level delegations while consolidating the operations of the Vietnam-Sri Lanka Joint Committee.
They vowed to promote trade and investment cooperation, raising the two-way trade turnover to US $100 million in 2012 and expanding cooperation for mutual benefit in agriculture, aquaculture, culture, petroleum, aviation services, sea transport, construction, education, and healthcare.
After their talks, the two Presidents witnessed the signing of many cooperation treaties on investment, criminal control, culture, and agriculture.