Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s official visit to Vietnam has opened a new chapter in the history of mutual relations existing between the two countries, said Prime Minister of Vietnam Nguyen Xuan Phuc.
He was addressing the media after the Conclusion of Sri Lanka - Vietnam bilateral talks held at the President’s House in Hanoi on April 17 morning.
He said he was thankful to Sri Lanka for the friendship and co-ordiality always extended towards Vietnam and its people.
The Vietnamese Prime Minister who emphasised that Sri Lanka is a strong nation situated in a vital and significant place in the Indian ocean, added that the two countries had reached an agreement to improve bilateral relations between them in fields of fuel, gas, infrastructure facilities, Information and Communication technology, textiles and garments, processing and destruction of agri and fishery products, renewable energy, airline services, education and tourism sectors.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe pointed out that relations between Sri Lanka and Vietnam were historic and long standing. It was due to Vietnam that the initial foundation was laid for the establishment of Theravada Buddhism in Sri Lanka. Trade relations had existed between the two country from King Parakramabahu’s era.
Premier Wickremesinghe said as Asian countries they should take joint action to bestow a better future for the future generation, on the basis of past experiences. He who pointed out that both Vietnam and Sri Lanka had to face a cruel war, stressed that both countries had now reached a development path and become middle income earning countries.
The Prime Minister said Vietnam is a country which faced a cruel war 30 years ago. Vietnam had fought against French and US forces.
After protecting the country with great agony and suffering, it is now moving towards rapid economic development. “We too who faced a 30-year-war are following in the footsteps or Vietnam to march towards rapid economic development with the objective of providing better living standards for the people. It is to have broader discussions regarding this matter that we arrived in Vietnam after accepting an invitation extended by the Prime Minister of Vietnam. This will be a good opportunity for the National Government set up under the leadership of President Maithripala Sirisena. Vietnam is not a new country but a country we had forgotten. It is due to Vietnam that we received Theravada Buddhism,” said Premier Wickremesinghe.
The Prime Minister said they reached an agreement to increase trade and economic relations between Vietnam and Sri Lanka up to 1,000 million US dollars. “Let us move forward by profiting from our experiences. This visit has helped to start a new chapter in the relations between the two countries.”
Prime Minister Wickremesinghe also extended an invitation to the Vietnamese Prime Minister to undertake a visit to Sri Lanka in order to further cement mutual relations between the two countries.