State President Truong Tan Sang received Sri Lankan Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa in Hanoi on September 5.

At the reception, the State leaders applauded the Sri Lankan Defence Ministry delegation’s first visit to Vietnam , considering it a concrete manifestation of the friendship between the two countries.

He thanked Sri Lanka for its past support for Vietnam at regional and international forums and congratulated the South Asian country on its socio-economic development achievements, especially its high economic growth in recent years.

President Sang spoke highly of the results of the talks between the two countries’ Defence Ministries, affirming that Vietnam was ready to share experience in national construction and development with Sri Lanka .

He expressed his belief that the cooperation between the two countries will deepen further and expand in the future as they shared many cultural similarities and long-lasting traditional relations.

For his part, the Sri Lankan guest affirmed that his country wanted to expand cooperation with Vietnam , especially in promoting the role of the army in socio-economic development./.