Sri Lankan Prime Minister wishes to promote cooperation with Vietnam

According to a VNA reporter reporting from South Asia, on the afternoon of October 3 (local time), Sri Lankan Prime Minister Hasini Amarasuriya received Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to Sri Lanka Trinh Thi Tam at the Prime Minister's Office in the capital Colombo.

Photo caption — Ambassador Trinh Thi Tam paid a courtesy call to Sri Lankan Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya. Photo: VNA

At the reception, Ambassador Trinh Thi Tam conveyed the congratulations of the Vietnamese senior leaders to Sri Lanka for successfully organizing the 9th presidential election on September 21 and forming a government headed by Prime Minister Hasini Amarasuriya; expressing her belief that under the leadership of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Sri Lanka will soon overcome current difficulties and challenges, continue to develop stably, and become an attractive destination for tourism, trade and foreign investment, including Vietnam. Ambassador Trinh Thi Tam affirmed that Vietnam always attaches importance to the traditional friendship with Sri Lanka; assessed that the two countries have good relations through the Party, State and National Assembly channels. The Ambassador expressed her hope that on the occasion of the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations in 2025, the two sides will increase delegation exchanges and high-level contacts; promote the implementation of bilateral cooperation mechanisms, including the Joint Committee at the Foreign Minister level; Expand cooperation in potential areas such as tourism, culture, education, agriculture, fisheries, etc.; encourage people-to-people exchanges, especially among youth and women; and continue the tradition of cooperation and mutual support at multilateral forums, including the United Nations. Ambassador Trinh Thi Tam also highly appreciated and hoped that the Sri Lankan Government would continue to create favorable conditions for the Vietnamese community living, working and studying in Sri Lanka.

For her part, Prime Minister Hasini Amarasuriya was interested in learning about the political-economic-social situation in Vietnam, expressing admiration for Vietnam's recent achievements in various fields. The Prime Minister stated that Vietnam is a development model that Sri Lanka can learn from because the two countries have many similarities in geography, history and culture, and emphasized that Sri Lanka always appreciates the good feelings that Vietnam has for Sri Lanka in the past and present, both in bilateral relations and at international forums. Prime Minister Hasini Amarasuriya said that the new Government of Sri Lanka wishes to strengthen relations with Vietnam; affirming that in her role, she will direct relevant ministries and sectors of Sri Lanka to step up exchanges with Vietnam on measures to promote cooperation in potential fields, including trade, investment, culture, education, Buddhism; especially learning from Vietnam's experience in developing tourism - a spearhead economic sector of Sri Lanka. In addition, Prime Minister Hasini Amarasuriya also paid attention to understanding the thoughts and aspirations of the Vietnamese community in Sri Lanka; noted our proposals on facilitating Vietnamese imports, encouraging Sri Lankan businesses to invest in Vietnam, and coordinating cultural exchange activities in the year commemorating the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations to raise awareness of the people of the two countries about the Vietnam-Sri Lanka relationship as well as the life and career of President Ho Chi Minh, who stopped in Sri Lanka three times on his journey to find a way to save the country.

Ngoc Thuy (Vietnam News Agency)

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/thoi-su/thu-tuong-sri-lanka-mong-muon-thuc-day-quan-he-hop-tac-voi-viet-nam-20241004064255755.htm