On May 9, Politburo Member, Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung answered an interview about the State visit to India and Sri Lanka by General Secretary and President To Lam, affirming that the visit was very successful, reaching a high level of set goals.
With India, the two countries agreed to upgrade relations to a Strengthened Comprehensive Strategic Partnership; with Sri Lanka as a Comprehensive Partner, creating a new political framework, strengthening political trust and mutual understanding.
The two countries have given the General Secretary, President and Delegation a warm, thoughtful, friendly, and respectful reception with the highest level of state visit and with many exceptions. Vietnamese departments, ministries, and branches also have rich working programs with corresponding partners. More than 50 documents reached in India and 11 documents in Sri Lanka have shown the very high efforts of Vietnam and the two countries; contributing to creating an important driving force for the development of bilateral relations. Our leaders and the two countries have also exchanged measures to promote relations between the Communist Party of Vietnam and the ruling party, parliamentary relations, and people-to-people diplomacy" - the Minister pointed out.
According to him, one of the important highlights of the visit is its profound political significance, showing the special importance of our Party and State to the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with "big friend" India and the good traditional friendly relations with Sri Lanka and thereby Vietnam's respect for South Asia.
Another highlight is that the visit created a strategic breakthrough, creating conditions for qualitative changes in the development orientation of relations with India and Sri Lanka.
Also according to Minister Le Hoai Trung, the results of the visit are very substantive. Strategic orientations to remove bottlenecks, expand markets, strengthen economic connectivity, investment, infrastructure, science - technology, innovation and supply chains are of particular concern to leaders with very specific cooperation proposals; affirming to expand and deepen the national defense - security pillar, identifying economics, science - technology as new pillars with practical programs, plans, and activities, strengthening education - training cooperation.
For India, the results of the visit have brought the two countries' relations to a new height, opening up great cooperation potential in the fields of security - defense, economy - trade, science - technology, education - training, culture and people-to-people exchanges, promising to bring the two countries' relations to a "golden era".
For Sri Lanka, the two sides committed to continue to consolidate and strengthen cooperation and friendship, establish high-level political trust, expand the scale and level of cooperation in a comprehensive and substantive direction in all fields; agreed to increase bilateral trade turnover to 5 times the current level in the next few years. Major progress in Sri Lanka's economic stability has opened up new opportunities for trade, cooperation in minerals, manufacturing, seaports and many other fields.
