Lanka has lot to learn from Vietnam - President

<P>[October 14 2011]
<P>       " We in Sri Lanka have a lot to learn from your people and a lot to share with your country", President Mahinda Rajapaksa said at the banquet hosted in honour of President Truong Tan Sang at the Janadhipathi Mandiraya in Colombo last night.

<P>"You visit us at an important period in our national life. After eliminating terrorism, today our nation stands undivided under one flag, committed to sustainable recovery from three decades of conflict, accompanied by the further strengthening of national amity", he said.


<P>"The people of Sri Lanka were firmly behind and supportive of the national liberation struggle of the people of Vietnam. Sri Lanka has always drawn inspiration from Vietnam in your efforts in defending national independence and achieving national re-unification. The common heritage of Buddhism, the shared experiences of colonialism, the struggle for independence and the more recent advances in bilateral co-operation in a variety of areas have drawn our people together," he said adding that President Sang visited at an important period.

<P>"After eliminating terrorism, today our nation stands undivided under one flag, committed to sustainable recovery from three decades of conflict, accompanied by the further strengthening of national amity. My visit in 2009 to Vietnam ushered in an era of renewed engagement between our two countries. My stay in your beautiful city of Hanoi, which celebrated its one thousandth (1000th) year of existence in 2010, is very much etched in my memory. That visit opened new vistas in further harnessing the enormous potential available for consolidating the bilateral partnership.

<P>Much has happened since then. Our engagements have been productive. On the security and defence front we have agreed to work with each other for eradicating the common menace of terrorism", President Rajapaksa said.