HCMC – Vietnam and Sri Lanka have agreed to elevate bilateral relations to a comprehensive partnership, reaffirming their commitment to strengthening traditional friendship, expanding cooperation and building high-level political trust.
Vietnamese Party General Secretary and State President To Lam and Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake met with the press on the morning of May 8 (local time), following high-level talks and a ceremony for the exchange of cooperation agreements between ministries and agencies of the two countries.
Speaking at the press conference, President Dissanayake said he was pleased to welcome To Lam and the high-level Vietnamese delegation on their visit to Sri Lanka, describing it as a reflection of Vietnam’s regard for Sri Lanka as a longstanding traditional partner in South Asia.
He said the visit would help strengthen traditional friendship and further elevate bilateral cooperation for the benefit of the two peoples, as well as for peace, cooperation and development in the region and globally.
The visit also provided an opportunity for both sides to comprehensively review bilateral cooperation in recent years and identify concrete measures and directions to advance ties to a new level.
Party General Secretary and State President To Lam said the two leaders had held highly successful talks and highly valued the enduring friendship, mutual trust and support that the two countries have built over more than 55 years of diplomatic relations.
The two sides agreed to elevate Vietnam-Sri Lanka relations to a comprehensive partnership and committed to further strengthening friendly cooperation, deepening political trust, and expanding the scope and depth of cooperation in a comprehensive and substantive manner across all areas.
Both countries agreed to deepen political, defense and security cooperation based on mutual trust, understanding and respect, while increasing high-level exchanges and contacts through Party, State, parliamentary and people-to-people channels, as well as maintaining regular bilateral cooperation mechanisms.
The two sides also agreed to strengthen practical and mutually beneficial cooperation in trade, investment, agriculture, energy, and science and technology, while implementing breakthrough measures to achieve a bilateral trade target of US$1 billion at an early date. They also expressed a shared intention to work toward a future bilateral trade and investment agreement.
Lam welcomed plans by Vietnamese airlines to launch direct flights between the two countries, saying such routes would mark a breakthrough in connectivity and facilitate broader cooperation across multiple sectors.
