Mr Bogollagama praised Vietnam’s achievements during its Doi Moi (Renewal) and international integration process as well as its increasing role in the international arena, particularly after it assumed the presidency of the United Nations Security Council last July.

For his part, Mr Khiem welcomed Mr Bogollagama’s first visit to Hanoi and said that Vietnam attaches importance to developing cooperative ties with Sri Lanka. He noted that over the past few years, Sri Lanka has achieved a relative high economic growth rate and a high GDP per capita in South Asia.

He voiced Vietnam’s support for the Sri Lankan Government’s efforts to maintain stability, fight terrorism and restore social order and security for national development.

Both host and guest expressed their pleasure at the fruitful development of the two countries’ cooperation in economics, trade, investment, security and national defence. They said two-way trade has increased constantly, reaching US$61 million in 2008, up 14 percent against 2007.

They agreed to increase bilateral cooperation in other areas such as agriculture, education and training, culture, sports and tourism to match the two countries’ potential.

They compared notes on regional and international issues of mutual concern and agreed to work closely at regional and international forums, including the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and the United Nations.

VietNamNet/VOV