President Mahinda Rajapaksa had bilateral discussions with Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang at the Presidential Secretariat, short while ago.
He is a three-day official visit to Sri Lanka on an invitation extended by President Mahinda Rajapaksa. This is the first state visit by a Vietnamese President to Sri Lanka, since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 1970.
President Rajapaksa made a state visit to Vietnam in October 2009. During this visit, the two countries agreed to promote cooperation in economy, trade and investment to raise a two-way trade path which was at USD 65 million to US$100 million by 2012.
In 2009, the two countries signed five agreements covering areas of investment, cultural cooperation, agriculture development, fisheries and combating crime.
During his stay in Sri Lanka, President Sang is expected to hold talks with President Rajapaksa and several ministers with a view to exploring opportunities for further promotion of relations and cooperation between Sri Lanka and Vietnam for mutual benefits.