ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka and Vietnam has agreed to co-operate in the fields of agriculture, artificial intelligence, defence and boost trade and investments between the two nations, according to joint statement released, after a state visit by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.
President Dissanayake has offered Sri Lanka’s expertise in archaeology and historical monuments.
The full statement is reproduced below:
JOINT STATEMENT
Between
THE SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIET NAM AND THE DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF SRI LANKA
On the State Visit of H.E. Anura Kumara Disanayaka President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka to the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam 4th – 6th May, 2025
1. At the invitation of His Excellency Luong Cuong, President of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, His Excellency Anura Kumara Disanayaka, President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka paid a State Visit to Viet Nam from 4th – 6th May 2025. The visit takes place on the occasion of the 55th anniversary of Viet Nam – Sri Lanka diplomatic relations (1970 – 2025).
2. During the visit, President Anura Kumara Disanayaka was accorded a ceremonial welcome. President Disanayaka held bilateral meetings with General Secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam To Lam, President Luong Cuong, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, and Chairman of the National Assembly
Tran Thanh Man.
President Dissanayake also paid tribute to President Ho Chi Minh at his mausoleum and laid a wreath at the Monument to War Heroes and Martyrs, as a gesture symbolizing the close bonds of friendship that have been built and nurtured by generations of leaders, grounded in mutual trust, respect, shared values, cultural traditions, and a profound understanding between the two nations.
3. Honouring a joint invitation extended by the Viet Nam Buddhist Sangha and the Government of Viet Nam President Anura Kumara Disanayaka attended the UN Day of Vesak celebrations on 6 May 2025 held in Ho Chi Minh City as Chief Guest and delivered the keynote address, reaffirming longstanding Buddhist ties between the two countries.
4. The Vietnamese Leaders and President Disanayaka had wide-ranging discussions on bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual interest. They noted with satisfaction the development of the traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation between the two countries spanning 55 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations on the 21st of July 1970, underpinned by high level of political trust, close people-to-people linkages and warm sentiments between the two peoples. They affirmed the warm friendship and valuable support which both nations had accorded to each other in the course of National Development had laid a firm foundation for further strengthening and deepening of relations between Viet Nam and Sri Lanka in the coming years.
5. President Disanayaka congratulated Viet Nam on its significant achievements and remarkable progress in social and economic development. He also lauded the success of Vietnamese leadership in transforming the country into one of the fastest growing economies and a thriving manufacturing hub in the East Asia – Pacific region. The Vietnamese Leaders congratulated President Anura Kumara Disanayaka and the National People’s Power (NPP) on the victory at the recently concluded Presidential and Parliamentary elections in Sri Lanka and efforts to bring about economic stability and development in the country; convinced that Sri Lanka could play a vital role as an economic hub in the Indian Ocean region, given its strategic geographical location.
6. The two sides’ Leaders discussed and agreed on key directions to uplift bilateral relations to the next level. It was agreed to continue to promote closer political relations between Viet Nam and Sri Lanka, including increasing high-level visits and contacts, exchange of delegations at various levels as well as promoting people-to-people contacts.
7. They emphasized the need for effective implementation of existing bilateral cooperation mechanisms. In this context, the early convening of the 5th round of bilateral political consultations between the two Ministries of Foreign Affairs, the 3rd Meeting of the Sub Committee on Trade and the 4th meeting of the Joint Commission on Economic, Scientific and Technological Cooperation between Viet Nam and Sri Lanka were identified as priorities for implementation in 2025.
8. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation in the areas of national defence and security. In this regard, the two sides agreed to review and renew the Memorandum of Understanding on Defence Cooperation, increase the exchange of Defence delegations, promote cooperation in Defence studies through the exchange of delegations between the National Defence Academy of Viet Nam and the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University of Sri Lanka. The two sides also agreed to enhance cooperation in education and training, intelligence sharing and exchange of delegations as well as exchange experience in UN Peacekeeping operations. The importance of enhancing cooperation in combating transnational crimes inter alia terrorism, illegal immigration and cybercrimes was also underscored by the two sides. The two sides also discussed opportunities for cooperation in the area of defence industry in order to enhance the capacity building of both countries. With regard to security sector cooperation, Viet Nam and Sri Lanka agreed to strengthen ties between the two Ministries of Public Security of the two countries.
9. Both sides agreed that there remains great potentials in trade and investment between Viet Nam and Sri Lanka. In the context of the rapidly evolving global economic environment, they agreed to promote stronger cooperation, including the reviewing of the Bilateral Investment Treaty and the Avoidance of Double Taxation Agreement between Viet Nam and Sri Lanka to facilitate bilateral trade and investment.
10. Both sides agreed to take pragmatic steps to increase bilateral trade such as trade facilitation, information exchange, promote business-to-business links through trade missions, as well as business matching, exhibitions, seminars, aimed at bringing the trade turnover to 1 billion USD in the near future. The two sides agreed to collaborate, identify and pursue mutually beneficial trade leveraging on each other’s strengths.
11. The leaders agreed to boost stronger investment flows between the two countries. The Vietnamese side appreciated the investments from Sri Lanka in 33 projects with a total registered capital of more than USD 43 million as of March 31st, 2025.
12. President Disanayaka commended the steady and impressive progress of Viet Nam’s economic development and expressed Sri Lanka’s interest in attracting Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) from Viet Nam particularly in the agriculture, food processing, manufacturing, renewable energy, electronic and automobile components, real estate, hospitality, pharmaceutical, hospitals, tele-communication, logistics, infrastructure and industrial infrastructure sectors.
13. The Leaders concurred on the importance of increasing air connectivity between the two countries based on the Air Services Agreement that was already in existence. They agreed that air connectivity will be a strong incentive to ensure rapid growth in tourism between the two countries. In this regard, both sides agreed to encourage both countries’ Airlines to soon commence direct flights. The two sides also discussed the possibility of facilitating measures to boost tourism, business and people-to-people connectivity and to promote ease of travel between Viet Nam and Sri Lanka.
14. Both sides acknowledged the significant potential for co-operation in the agriculture sector. Given the remarkable strides made by Viet Nam in advancing its agriculture sector particularly in the areas of automation, mechanization and scientific research, and in the area of post-harvest processing, President Disanayaka requested for sharing of expertise and exchanges to support the efforts of the Government of Sri Lanka to encourage agriculture modernization in the country.
15. Both sides agreed that the ongoing collaboration between the Vietnam Institute of Agricultural Engineering & Post-Harvest Technology (VIAEP), the National Institute of Post-Harvest Management (NIPHM), and the Farm Mechanization Research Center (FMRC) of Sri Lanka, alongside the Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences and the Department of Agriculture of Sri Lanka, would further strengthen cooperation in the agricultural sector, fostering mutual growth and facilitating valuable knowledge exchange, and agreed to fully implement the Agriculture Work Plan for the period 2024-2026. Both sides agreed to arrange and facilitate short-term study visits for the professionals in the Agriculture sector.
16. President Disanayaka expressed Sri Lanka’s willingness to assist Viet Nam in the fields of archaeology and the preservation of cultural artifacts. With a rich heritage spanning over two millennia and extensive experience in conserving ancient sites and relics, Sri Lanka stands ready to share its expertise and best practices in support of Viet Nam’s efforts to protect and celebrate its cultural heritage. The Vietnamese side welcomed this offer with appreciation.
17. The Leaders emphasized the cultural and historical bonds between the two countries. They welcomed the joint endeavor of both sides in the project of constructing the outer wall surrounding the sapling of the Sacred Bodhi Tree gifted by Sri Lanka in 2023 at Bai Dinh spiritual complex, which is the combination of authentic Sri Lankan architectural carvings and a uniquely Vietnamese-designed fence, standing as a testament to the strong cultural and spiritual collaboration between the two countries.
18. Both sides expressed their satisfaction at the renewal of the Education Cooperation Agreement, which was signed in 1999, and encouraged both sides’ related agencies to sign a work plan for education cooperation based on the renewed Agreement. The two leaders also highlighted the importance of strengthening collaboration between higher education institutions in both countries and expressed a mutual interest in facilitating student exchanges across a range of academic disciplines.
19. President Disanayaka highlighted the importance of expanding opportunities for students, particularly through increased scholarships in the fields of science, technology, and agriculture. In response, the Vietnamese side expressed interest in receiving more scholarships in the area of Buddhist studies.
20. Both sides recognized their respective strengths in Artificial Intelligence (AI),
E-commerce, and digital transformation, and shared commitment to harnessing emerging technologies for sustainable development, improved public service delivery, and innovation-led economic growth. They agreed to enhance cooperation through capacity building, knowledge exchange, and technology transfer.
21. The Leaders expressed satisfaction at the close cooperation and support extended at regional and multilateral fora by the two countries and agreed to further deepen cooperation and coordination on issues of vital interest to the Global South.
22. The Leaders reaffirmed the importance of collective action as articulated by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), emphasizing the urgent need for accessible climate financing, particularly for developing nations that remain disproportionately vulnerable due to limited adaptive capacity. They underscored that concerted international efforts, including innovative financing mechanisms and the fulfillment of commitments by developed countries, are essential to effectively mitigate global warming and address sea level rise.
23. Sri Lanka welcomes Viet Nam in hosting the signing ceremony of the United Nations Convention against cybercrime in Ha Noi in 2025.
24. Sri Lanka and Viet Nam reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace, stability, security and freedom of navigation and underscored the significance of respect and adherence to international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) for maintaining a stable and peaceful international maritime order.
25. President Anura Kumara Disanayaka informed that advancing cooperation with Southeast Asia and ASEAN is a principal tenet of Sri Lanka’s foreign policy under his administration. Viet Nam welcomed the policy stance and underlined the need for close coordination and cooperation. In this regard, both Leaders expressed satisfaction at the active role played by Viet Nam and Sri Lanka within the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) as Co-Chairs of the Inter-Sessional Meeting on Disaster Relief for the period of 2023 – 2026. The Viet Nam side also took note of Sri Lanka’s interest in becoming an ASEAN Sectorial Dialogue Partner.
26. The Leaders agreed that the MoUs/Agreements signed during the visit have laid the foundation for stronger collaboration between Viet Nam and Sri Lanka in areas of significant mutual interest and would pave the way to further elevate the multifaceted bilateral partnership.
27. The Leaders expressed satisfaction with the fruitful discussions held in the spirit of mutual understanding, which contributed to further enhancing the excellent relationship between the two countries, enabling it to reach new heights.
28. President Anura Kumara Disanayaka expressed his gratitude to the State, the Government and people of Viet Nam for the warm reception and hospitality accorded during the State Visit to Viet Nam and extended invitations to General Secretary To Lam and President Luong Cuong to visit Sri Lanka at a mutually convenient time. The invitations were accepted with appreciation.
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