Vietnam and Sri Lanka have agreed to promote cooperation in economy, trade and investment to raise a two-way trade path which is at USD 65 million to US$100 million by 2012.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa congratulated the Vietnamese leadership and its people for the impressive economic development achieved during the past two decades.

Being present in Vietnam with a delegation of several ministers and a business group from Sri Lanka, the President noted that the business group would be keen the interact with the Vietnamese business circle to forge bilateral partnership for the betterment of trade and economy of both nations.

He said he was eager to learn more on how the late Vietnamese President Ho Chi Min and the Vietnamese leadership unified the country to bring it to present state of development.

President Rajapaksa said he had personally extended an invitation to the Vietnamese President to undertake a visit to Sri Lanka in the near future and looked forward to receive him in order to consolidate the relationship between the two countries.

President Rajapaksa paid a courtesy call on Nong Duc- Manh, Secretary General of the Communist Party of Vietnam yesterday afternoon (22).

Party leader Duc Manh congratulated Sri Lanka on its recent historic victory over terrorism, which transformed the country to enter a period of peace, stability, national construction and development. He expressed Vietnam’s consistent policy of supporting the Sri Lankan government’s efforts to stabilize the nation, battle terrorism to restore security and social order.