Party General Secretary Tô Lâm with Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake in Hà Nội on Sunday. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Party General Secretary Tô Lâm has said that with its strengths, Việt Nam is willing to accompany and cooperate with Sri Lanka in socio-economic development.

He was speaking during a meeting with Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake in Hà Nội on Sunday.

The Sri Lankan president is on a state visit to Việt Nam until Tuesday to participate in the 20th United Nations Day of Vesak Celebrations (Vesak 2025) at the invitation of his Vietnamese counterpart Lương Cường.

Party General Secretary Tô Lâm warmly welcomed President Anura Kumara Dissanayaka to Việt Nam on the occasion of the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

He praised the president for attending and delivering a speech at the Vesak Buddha Day celebrations and thanked him for sending a congratulatory letter on the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and the Reunification of Việt Nam.

The General Secretary congratulated President Dissanayaka and the JVP Party, the core of the ruling National People's Power (NPP) alliance, for their victory in the Sri Lankan elections in late 2024.

He noted that the result reflects the high trust the Sri Lankan people have in the JVP and President Dissanayaka personally.

The General Secretary expressed confidence that under the President's leadership, Sri Lanka will achieve successes in socio-economic development and national stability, and will fulfill its goal of becoming a developed nation by 2048, marking the centenary of Sri Lanka's founding.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayaka emphasised the longstanding, close, and supportive relationship between Việt Nam and Sri Lanka throughout history.

He once again congratulated the Vietnamese Party, State and people on the historic victory of April 30, 1975, affirming that it was not only a victory for the Vietnamese people but also for the Sri Lankan people and for all those who love peace worldwide.

The President expressed admiration for Việt Nam's remarkable achievements in economic development, noting that within just 50 years of national reunification, Việt Nam has become one of the fastest-growing economies globally, with its role, status and international prestige continually rising.

He expressed a desire to learn from Việt Nam's experience in economic development, institutional reforms, anti-corruption measures and governance.

Both sides expressed satisfaction with the sustainable development of the traditional friendship and comprehensive cooperation over the past 55 years.

Both leaders agreed that their long-standing friendship, trust and mutual understanding provide a solid foundation for further exploiting the potential and strengths of each nation to promote deeper cooperation and elevate bilateral relations to new heights, contributing to regional stability and development.

They vowed to continue strengthening trust and cohesion between their countries and ruling Parties, promoting exchanges at all levels and making defence and security cooperation a new pillar of their relations.

They also agreed to make breakthroughs in economic, trade and investment cooperation to effectively address the rapid changes in global political and economic dynamics.

Sri Lankan President Dissanayake confirmed that he would create favourable conditions for Vietnamese businesses to invest in important and strategic sectors in Sri Lanka.

Both sides also agreed to further expand cooperation in agriculture, education, culture, people-to-people exchanges, tourism, religion and to accelerate the opening of direct flight routes to facilitate cooperation and connectivity between the two countries.

The two leaders agreed to further deepen their cooperation and mutual support at multilateral forums, particularly at the United Nations and in South-South cooperation.

General Secretary Tô Lâm praised Sri Lanka for being an active member of the United Nations and welcomed Sri Lanka’s efforts to strengthen its cooperation with ASEAN.

President Dissanayaka invited General Secretary Tô Lâm to visit Sri Lanka in the near future. — VNS