Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has expressed his country’s desire to promote cooperative relations with Vietnam during a meeting with the Vietnamese community in Mississauga, Ontario on January 19.

 The PM voiced hope that Vietnamese-Canadian relations will reach new heights and that Vietnamese community in Canada will contribute even more to the development of their North American home.

On the occasion of the upcoming Lunar New Year Festival (Tet), the PM wants to convey his best regards to the overseas  Vietnamese community. He emphasised the importance of Vietnam in Canada’s 2013 foreign policy, adding that the Canadian Government plans to foster its relations with the Vietnamese Government.

Stephen Harper also acknowledged the cultural centrality of the Tet festival to Vietnamese people. It offers an opportunity for Vietnamese people to unite with their families and friends and share in the joy of the past year’s successes, he said.

VOV