Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. XINHUA/VNA Photo

HÀ NỘI – Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s state visit to Việt Nam from May 4–6 will open up a new chapter in the bilateral cooperation in the coming time, bringing benefits to the two nations while contributing to peace, cooperation, development, and prosperity in the region and the world, Vietnamese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Trịnh Thị Tâm has said.

In an interview with the Vietnam News Agency on the threshold of the visit, Tâm stated that the visit, to be made at the invitation of State President Lương Cường, will be the first by a Sri Lankan head of state to Việt Nam in 16 years. This will also be the first trip to Việt Nam by President Dissanayake since he took office in September, 2024, demonstrating the special importance the Sri Lankan leadership places on the traditional friendship with the Southeast Asian country.

From Việt Nam's perspective, the visit reaffirms the respect for Sri Lanka as a traditional friend and important partner in South Asia, Tâm explained, stressing that as the two countries are celebrating their 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations, this will be a good chance for them to reflect on the partnership and establish new directions for the relations in the new situation. The trip will feature various activities, covering the pillars of politics, economy, and culture, with the highlight being high-level talks and meetings as well as the signing of important cooperation documents.

While staying in Việt Nam, President Dissanayake will also participate as a guest of honour and speaker at the opening ceremony of the 20th United Nations Day of Vesak Celebrations in Hồ Chí Minh City from May 6–8, demonstrating the deep Buddhist and cultural connections between the two countries.

The diplomat expressed her optimism about the future trajectory of bilateral ties, elaborating that Việt Nam and Sri Lanka have enjoyed a robust traditional friendship, with Sri Lankan governments across different periods having prioritised strengthening and developing relations with Việt Nam.

The two countries will promote cooperation in areas of their strengths such as agriculture, fisheries, culture, education, tourism, and Buddhism, based on existing cooperation documents and established mechanisms to achieve concrete and substantive results.

According to Tâm, Việt Nam and Sri Lanka will enhance collaboration in important areas that have recently been affected by external factors, including trade, investment, defence, security, people-to-people exchanges, manufacturing, heritage conservation, and information technology. Additionally, they will explore expanding cooperation in new fields like customs, pharmaceuticals, logistics, renewable energy, electronics, electric vehicles, archaeology, AI, e-commerce, digital economy, digital transformation, innovation, local cooperation, and air and maritime connectivity to broaden their cooperation space and adapt to regional and international situations.

The two countries will coordinate more closely and effectively at multilateral forums, especially the UN, Non-Aligned Movement, and ASEAN Regional Forum as responsible partners, thereby enhancing the role and position of each country, she added.

Historical milestones and potential for growth

Reflecting on the diplomatic journey so far, Ambassador Tâm traced the bilateral relations back to their consular ties set up in 1964 and the formal establishment of diplomatic relations in 1970. Despite historical upheavals, including periods when Việt Nam had to temporarily close its embassy in Colombo, both countries have maintained regular exchanges of high-level visits and established institutional frameworks for cooperation.

Despite historical challenges, bilateral cooperation has flourished through regular high-level exchanges and institutional frameworks. Late President Hồ Chí Minh visited Sri Lanka three times between 1911 and 1946 and today remains one of the few foreign leaders honoured with a statue in Colombo, Tâm remarked.

Việt Nam and Sri Lanka have set up three key mechanisms at ministerial and deputy ministerial levels and signed over 30 cooperation agreements spanning trade, defence, agriculture, culture, and education.

Despite remaining modest, two-way trade has been at a relatively stable level of around US$300 million per year. Currently, Sri Lanka has about 30 projects in Việt Nam with an investment capital of over $40 million. Culture, Buddhism, and people-to-people exchanges are becoming strengths and potentials in the bilateral cooperation. Besides, the Vietnamese community in Sri Lanka is growing, currently numbering about 150, making contributions to the socio-economic development of the host country.

Ambassador Tâm outlined several priority areas for strengthening bilateral cooperation. She advocated leveraging both countries' coastal positions to develop agriculture, fisheries, and ocean resources. With tourism representing another promising sector, Tâm recommended direct flights and streamlined visa processes to boost cultural and spiritual tourism exchanges.

For trade advancement, she suggested joint ventures focused on third-country exports to reduce production cost, transport time, and tariffs, while urging free trade negotiations and improved connectivity to facilitate trade.

The ambassador also highlighted education and technology cooperation as essential for addressing shared challenges through research and innovation.

Renewable energy collaboration is a potential area, she said, adding that solar and wind projects will not only strengthen the bilateral relationship but also contribute to addressing global challenges like climate change. — VNS