Hanoi, May 5 -- Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Manh Cuong made the above statement in a recent interview ahead of the top Vietnamese leader's visit to Sri Lanka from May 7 to 8 at the invitation of Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

According to the Deputy Minister, this is the highest-level visit by a Vietnamese leader to Sri Lanka since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1970.

The visit will help consolidate the traditional friendship and further strengthen the sincere bonds between the leaders and peoples of the two countries, which have been nurtured over the past decades.

In addition, Nguyen said, the visit will create new momentum and help shape a framework for bilateral cooperation in th...