Vietnamese and Sri Lankan presidents agreed on Thursday October 22 that the two countries would promote cooperation in the sectors of agriculture, fishery, oil and gas, and tourism, Vietnam News Agency reported.
The agreement was reached during talks between Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet and visiting Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Triet said that the Sri Lankan president's visit is an important event, marking new development in bilateral relations.
Rajapaksa thanked the State and people of Vietnam for supporting Sri Lankan people, especially in international forums.
The two leaders agreed that the to-be-signed documents during the visit of Sri Lankan president will lay a foundation for ministries and state agencies of the two countries to further expand cooperation.
The two presidents also discussed measures to promote cooperation in regional and international forums.
After the talks, Triet and Rajapaksa witnessed the signing of many important documents for cooperation between the two countries, including the agreement on investment protection and encouragement, the agreement on crime prevention and fighting, the memorandum of understanding on culture, the plan on cooperation for agriculture development in the 2010-2011 period, and the plan on seafood cooperation in the 2010-2013 period.
Additionally an expected delegation of Vietnamese businessmen and heads of commerce are likely to arrive in Sri Lanka soon to further enhance these agreements.
Vietnam was thanked by Rajapaksa for the country’s support in opposing a resolution against Sri Lanka in the United Nations Human Rights Council. Vietnam had opposed the UN’s call for investigation into human rights abuses during the last days of the war in Sri Lanka.