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On the morning of May 8, General Secretary and President To Lam held talks with Sri Lanka’s President Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the Presidential Palace in Colombo, following a solemn welcome ceremony as part of To Lam’s state visit to Sri Lanka.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake welcomed To Lam and the high-level Vietnamese delegation, saying the visit marks an important milestone in bilateral relations. He also congratulated To Lam on being entrusted by the 16th National Assembly to assume his new post.
In the talks, the Sri Lankan President highlighted the long-standing relationship between the two countries, noting Sri Lanka’s friendship toward Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh, and expressing admiration for Vietnam and the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam.
For his part, To Lam expressed pleasure at returning to Sri Lanka and congratulated the host country on positive results in macroeconomic stability, recovery after the 2020–2024 crisis, and implementation of the economic reform program “Sri Lanka Clean 2026.” He also expressed confidence that Sri Lanka will successfully realize “Vision 2048.”
In an open and trusting atmosphere, the leaders exchanged information on their respective countries and welcomed positive steps in traditional friendship and multi-faceted cooperation over more than half a century, supported by political trust, mutual ideological support, shared Buddhist culture, and active membership in the Non-Aligned Movement.
Both sides said bilateral relations are at the best development stage in history and discussed directions to deepen Vietnam–Sri Lanka relations in line with each country’s potential and advantages, for the benefit of both peoples and to contribute to peace, stability and development in the region and the world.
The leaders agreed to:
They also agreed to push relations between the two ruling parties further, strengthen exchanges on theory, governance experience and foreign policy, and coordinate positions on regional and international issues of mutual concern.
On defense and security, the two sides agreed to deepen cooperation in a substantive, meaningful and efficient way, focusing on training for UN peacekeeping forces. They also agreed to expand information exchange and defense technology transfer, and to strengthen cooperation on maritime security, cyber security and countering non-traditional security challenges.
Highlighting cooperation potential in trade and investment, the leaders agreed to implement “breakthrough measures” to reach a bilateral trade turnover of 1 billion USD in the near future. To Lam said Vietnam is ready to supply Sri Lanka with competitive products including food, food products and agricultural machinery.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said the Government of Sri Lanka would create favorable conditions and issue policies to encourage Vietnamese enterprises to invest and do business in Sri Lanka. He also pointed to cooperation in high-tech agriculture, climate-change adaptation and the green transition.
The two sides agreed to strengthen agricultural cooperation along value chains, connect supply chains for agricultural products, develop post-harvest storage technologies and fisheries, and promote scientific and technological cooperation and digital transformation. They also agreed to share experiences in developing key products and implement joint research and technology transfer projects aimed at forming “emblematic cooperative projects.”
They further agreed to make cultural, educational and people-to-people exchanges a pillar of the bilateral relationship, broaden cooperation in tourism (especially spiritual tourism), study direct flight routes, and promote links between universities and research institutes.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake suggested Vietnam consider opening branches of major universities in Sri Lanka. In response, To Lam stressed the need to strengthen cultural cooperation, requested Sri Lanka support commemorative activities for President Ho Chi Minh, and called for promoting Vietnamese culture and language in Sri Lanka, reaffirming determination to promptly implement the agreements reached.
On regional and international issues, the leaders stressed the need for close coordination in multilateral forums, especially the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement and the Global South Forum. They reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace and stability, freedom of navigation, and resolving disputes peacefully in accordance with international law, in particular the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 1982.
On May 8 in Colombo, To Lam met Jagath Wickramaratne, Speaker of Sri Lanka’s Parliament, to exchange views on bilateral relations, parliamentary cooperation and directions to implement the Comprehensive Partnership.
The Speaker welcomed the state visit, saying it would deepen the Comprehensive Partnership. He described the Vietnam–Sri Lanka relationship as a traditional friendship nurtured by cultural and religious exchanges and mutual support in the struggle for independence, and said he highly values the attention of Vietnamese leaders to the bilateral relationship.
He expressed admiration for Vietnam’s achievements and hoped to strengthen parliamentary cooperation, especially in nation-building, anti-corruption and digital transformation. He also highlighted the significance and reference value of To Lam’s speech before the Sri Lankan Parliament.
To Lam said he was pleased to revisit Sri Lanka in his new capacity and appreciated the role of the Sri Lanka Parliament in strengthening the legal framework, promoting reforms and supporting economic recovery.
According to information released on the results of the talks with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and To Lam’s meeting with the Sri Lankan President, the two sides agreed to upgrade the relationship to a Comprehensive Partnership and defined directions for substantive cooperation.
To Lam proposed strengthening parliamentary cooperation, signing cooperation agreements soon, coordinating oversight of implementation of high-level agreements, and asking the Sri Lankan Parliament to facilitate Vietnamese enterprises to invest, open direct flights and assist the Vietnamese community in Sri Lanka.
On this occasion, To Lam conveyed greetings and an invitation from the Speaker of the National Assembly Trần Thánh Mẫn to Speaker Jagath Wickramaratne and Sri Lankan MPs.
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