Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa has praised Vietnam’s achievements in recent years and considered Vietnam a model for developing countries like Sri Lanka to follow.
During a reception for Vietnamese Ambassador Vu Quang Diem in Colombo early this week, President Rajapaksa said Vietnam and Sri Lanka have great potential for cooperation in various fields, such as economics, trade, culture, tourism and education.
Mr Rajapaksa expressed his wish that Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet will visit Sri Lanka and that Vietnam will open its Embassy in Colombo capital very soon.
For his part, Vietnamese Ambassador Diem affirmed Vietnam’s support for Sri Lanka’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. He also conveyed President Triet’s regards to Mr Rajapaksa and invited him to visit Vietnam.
President Rajapaksa accepted the invitation and said that he will visit Vietnam in 2007.
