Joint Media Briefing Held with the Participation of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and President Tô Lâm of Viet Nam
Following the official welcome ceremony accorded this morning (08) at the Presidential Secretariat to the President of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam and General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Viet Nam, H.E. Tô Lâm, bilateral discussions were held between President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and President Tô Lâm.
Subsequent to the exchange of Memoranda of Understanding between the two countries, the two Heads of State jointly addressed the media at a special media briefing.
Statement by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake
Your Excellency Tô Lâm, President of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam and General Secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam ,
Distinguished members of the Viet Names’ delegation,
Honoured guests,
Members of the media,
First of all, on behalf of the Government and the people of Sri Lanka, I extend a warm welcome to His Excellency Tô Lâm, President of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam and the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam, as well as the distinguished Vietnamese delegation accompanying him on this historic state visit.
The World Peace Walk led by the renowned Vietnamese Buddhist monk, Venerable Pannakara Thera, also passed through Sri Lanka, serving as another reminder of the centuries-old close ties between our two nations. Today’s visit by the President of Viet Nam to Sri Lanka will further strengthen the longstanding diplomatic relations between our countries.
It must be recognised that, on the global political stage, we view Viet Nam not merely as another state, but as a symbol of unwavering resistance against imperialism and a living example of remarkable economic transformation.
Viet Nam possesses a historic legacy that inspired the liberation struggles of oppressed nations across the world, a story that has been inscribed in golden letters in world history. The manner in which Viet Nam was rebuilt under the courageous leadership of great leaders such as Ho Chi Minh, amidst immense challenges, remains truly remarkable. We commend Viet Nam for its transformation from a nation once confronted by hardship into one of the leading manufacturing and economic centres in Southeast Asia.
I am particularly pleased that, following his assumption of office, His Excellency President Tô Lâm has chosen Sri Lanka as part of his first state visit to the South Asian region.
For a country such as Sri Lanka, which deeply values freedom and independence, it is a matter of great satisfaction to strengthen ties with a nation that possesses a proud and resilient history such as Viet Nam. We regard this occasion as an important and symbolic reflection of the deep friendship and longstanding relationship between our two countries.
I also extend my warm congratulations to His Excellency President Tô Lâm on being reappointed both as President of Viet Nam and as General Secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam. The renewed mandate entrusted to him is a clear reflection of the confidence placed in his leadership by the people of Viet Nam. I am confident that, under his continued guidance, Viet Nam will rise to even greater heights as an already prosperous and dynamic nation.
President Tô Lâm’s state visit marks a historic milestone in the diplomatic relations between our two countries. Reflecting the maturity, strength and future potential of our bilateral engagement, Sri Lanka and Viet Nam agreed today to elevate the existing diplomatic relationship into a broader and more comprehensive partnership.
A short while ago, President Tô Lâm and I held extensive and productive bilateral discussions. We conducted a comprehensive review of the current state of relations between our two countries and explored avenues to further strengthen cooperation across a wide range of sectors.
I commended Viet Nam’s remarkable achievements in manufacturing, export growth and integration into global value chains. I also briefed His Excellency on Sri Lanka’s significant economic progress following recent challenges.
Both our countries regard this as a timely opportunity to further strengthen economic cooperation. We share the objective of increasing bilateral trade to USD 1 billion by 2030.
I also expressed my appreciation to His Excellency for including a Vietnamese business delegation comprising around fifty representatives, demonstrating strong confidence in Sri Lanka’s investment climate and strategic potential. An economic and investment promotion programme involving the visiting business delegation has also been organised this afternoon.
I invited Vietnamese enterprises to explore investment and business opportunities in Sri Lanka’s priority sectors, including renewable energy, logistics, infrastructure development, tourism and manufacturing. Sri Lanka’s strategic location in the Indian Ocean and its evolving economic outlook create considerable potential for mutually beneficial partnerships between our two countries.
Sri Lanka also welcomed the decision by Vietnam Airlines and VietJet Air to commence direct flights between Colombo and the Vietnamese cities of Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi later this year. I believe this initiative will not only enhance tourism, but also strengthen trade, investment and people-to-people connectivity between our nations.
Energy cooperation was another important area of discussion. Sri Lanka remains committed to transitioning towards clean and sustainable energy sources. In this regard, we discussed opportunities for cooperation, particularly in the fields of solar and wind energy. We also explored emerging areas of collaboration such as electric mobility and electric vehicle manufacturing.
As Sri Lanka advances on its transformative journey towards building a digital economy, we also discussed opportunities for cooperation in areas such as information technology, artificial intelligence and digital public infrastructure. We believe closer collaboration in these sectors will foster innovation and create new economic opportunities for our people.
Agriculture remains a vital sector for both countries. We discussed Viet Nam’s impressive achievements in agricultural modernisation, mechanisation and export competitiveness. We also agreed to strengthen cooperation in areas such as technology transfer, capacity building and post-harvest management in order to improve productivity and sustainability within the agricultural sector.
Today, the Government of Viet Nam donated one hundred metric tonnes of urea and super phosphate fertiliser to Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka expresses its sincere appreciation to the people and Government of Viet Nam for this generous contribution and for responding positively to Sri Lanka’s request for fertiliser assistance.
We also discussed defence cooperation between our two countries. Reaffirming our shared commitment to regional peace and stability, we agreed to enhance cooperation in areas such as training, knowledge exchange and participation in United Nations peacekeeping operations.
The continued growth of bilateral relations between Sri Lanka and Viet Nam is further strengthened by the close cultural ties and people-to-people connections shared between our nations. The three visits made to Sri Lanka by President Ho Chi Minh, regarded as the founding father of modern Viet Nam, remain enduring symbols of the deep friendship between our two countries. Together with His Excellency President Tô Lâm, I will also pay tribute at the Ho Chi Minh statue and participate in the ceremony marking the expansion of the Ho Chi Minh section at the Colombo Public Library.
Following our discussions, several bilateral Memoranda of Understanding were signed covering areas such as science and technology, police cooperation, information and communications, as well as religious and cultural cooperation, further strengthening ties between our two countries.
Both Sri Lanka and Viet Nam have overcome destructive conflicts and attempts at territorial division. Today, both nations are emerging and developing economies in Asia with comparable per capita income levels. Sri Lanka is Viet Nam’s fourth-largest trading partner in the region. The strategic positioning of both countries along major international maritime routes provides unique advantages for bilateral and multilateral trade, as well as for joint ventures. There is immense potential for both nations to harness these opportunities for shared prosperity.
In conclusion, I once again express my sincere appreciation to His Excellency President Tô Lâm and the distinguished Vietnamese delegation for undertaking this state visit to Sri Lanka and for the enduring friendship shared between our two countries.
We reaffirm our commitment to working together to build a proud and prosperous future for both nations through practical cooperation in the fields of technology, defence and economic development.
May the friendship between Sri Lanka and Viet Nam endure for generations to come.
Statement by President Tô Lâm of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam
It gives me, together with the high-level Vietnamese delegation accompanying me, great pleasure to visit the beautiful and hospitable land of Sri Lanka, often referred to as the “Pearl of the Indian Ocean.” I wish to express my sincere gratitude to Your Excellency, the Government and the people of Sri Lanka for the warm, gracious and heartfelt welcome extended to us.
First and foremost, I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to Your Excellency the President and the Government of Sri Lanka on the achievements you have attained, particularly in your economic journey. We are pleased to witness the progress that has been made in improving the living standards of the people of Sri Lanka. The positive transformation taking place in your country, which possesses a bright and promising future, is clearly evident to us and we are confident that Sri Lanka will soon realise its development aspirations.
We held highly successful discussions. For more than 55 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, our two countries have built a long-standing friendship founded upon mutual trust and cooperation, which we greatly value. We also discussed further measures to strengthen this partnership and explored the many opportunities that exist between Viet Nam and Sri Lanka.
We focused particular attention on areas of mutual importance and shared interest in order to elevate our countries to greater heights. Both sides are committed to enhancing a broad-based partnership. We share a common vision on regional and global issues and we recognised that this is a timely opportunity for Viet Nam and Sri Lanka to elevate bilateral relations to a new level. In this spirit, President Dissanayake and I agreed to upgrade Viet Nam–Sri Lanka relations to a Comprehensive Partnership.
It is essential that we further strengthen economic, political and security cooperation between our two nations. Accordingly, we agreed to reinforce political, defence and security cooperation based on mutual trust, understanding and respect. We also agreed to strengthen ties among political parties, governments, parliaments and peoples, while promoting high-level exchanges and maintaining bilateral cooperation mechanisms.
In taking forward these initiatives, we have identified targets to enhance bilateral trade. Both sides agreed to take swift measures to achieve the goal of increasing bilateral trade turnover to US$1 billion by strengthening mutually beneficial cooperation in the fields of economy, trade, investment, agriculture, energy, science and technology. We also agreed to work towards a future bilateral agreement on trade and investment. Vietnamese entrepreneurs are prepared to expand their investments in Sri Lanka, with the aim of contributing to the country’s socio-economic development while creating strategic and symbolic projects that further strengthen ties between our two nations.
At the same time, we should continue exploring avenues to strengthen educational, cultural, religious and people-to-people exchanges. Our two countries share a long-standing historical and cultural bond, founded upon education, tourism and interpersonal connections. We are grateful for the respect shown by Sri Lanka towards President Hồ Chí Minh, the great leader of the Vietnamese nation and a globally revered cultural figure. We look forward to continuously promoting these noble cultural and spiritual values among the peoples of both countries.
We also discussed new avenues of cooperation to enhance air connectivity and establish improved Viet Nam–Sri Lanka aviation links. This will serve as an important milestone in paving the way for stronger cooperation across many sectors.
In particular, we also focused on issues that require international attention, including regional peace and stability. We emphasised the importance of ensuring freedom and security of maritime navigation, in accordance with international law. We reaffirmed the importance of peace, stability, the rule of law and the freedom of navigation and over-flight in seas and oceans, including the East Sea.
Through this Comprehensive Partnership, we can look forward to broader and more sustainable cooperation in the future. Together, we can create greater peace, prosperity and development for the people of our two nations.
Mr. President, once again, I wish to thank you and the people of Sri Lanka for the warm welcome and generous support extended to us.
