On the afternoon of May 5, at the Government Headquarters, Politburo member and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh met with Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayaka on the occasion of the President and a high-ranking delegation of the Sri Lankan Government visiting Vietnam and attending the United Nations Buddha's hand ceremony (Vesak).
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at the meeting, the Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh welcomed the President of Vietnam to be the third country, and the first country in Southeast Asia to visit after taking office, showing the respect of Sri Lanka in relations with Vietnam; Evaluation of the visit has a special meaning, right on the occasion of the two sides to celebrate the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations.
The Prime Minister emphasized that Vietnam and Sri Lanka have deep connections throughout history, originating from the similarities in Buddhism and common ideological values, and have the aspiration for peace, independence, freedom and happiness for the people.
The Prime Minister shared that President Ho Chi Minh, the beloved leader of the Vietnamese people, on his journey to find a way to save the country in 1911 visited Sri Lanka, who visited Sri Lanka twice in 1928 and 1946, laying a very important foundation for the friendship and warmth between the two countries and peoples.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayaka expressed his pleasure at paying a state visit to Vietnam and once again congratulated the Party, State and people of Vietnam on the historic victory on April 30, 1975 .
The President highly appreciated Vietnam as a model of successful economic development, one of the countries with the fastest economic growth rate in the world, becoming a center for production, innovation, attracting foreign investment; expressed his desire to learn these experiences from Vietnam.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and President of Sri Lanka Anura Kumara Dissanayaka agreed that, on the basis of warm friendship and high political trust, the two countries will continuously strengthen cooperation in various fields, soon bringing the relationship to new heights when there are sufficient conditions and consensus from both sides.
The two sides agreed to conduct more regular high-level visits and contacts, organize periodic visits and improve the effectiveness of bilateral cooperation mechanisms, especially the Joint Committee and Commercial Subcommittees, continue to review, supplement, promote the signing of cooperation agreements and propose new and diverse mechanisms, forms and activities of cooperation, in accordance with the conditions and needs of each country.
The two sides emphasized the need to strengthen economic, trade and investment cooperation based on the potential and strengths of each country, promote the connection of the two economies, implement trade and investment promotion measures in various forms, strive for two-way trade turnover to reach 1 billion USD, and consider signing a bilateral Free Trade Agreement and an Investment Protection and Encouragement Agreement in the coming time.
The President of Sri Lanka agreed to create favorable conditions for Vietnamese enterprises to export items to Sri Lanka with demand and Vietnam with strengths; have priority policies for Vietnamese investors to Sri Lanka to invest in key projects.
The two leaders also agreed to expand cooperation in digital transformation, green transformation, high-tech agricultural development, and enhance cooperation in science and technology, especially new technology.
