Sri Lankan Parliament establishes Sri Lanka-Vietnam Parliamentary Friendship Association

Speaker of the National Assembly Jagath Wickramaratne assessed that the establishment of the Sri Lanka-Vietnam Parliamentary Friendship Association marked a new milestone in the relationship between the two countries.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Trinh Thi Tam, Speaker of the National Assembly Jagath Wickramaratne, Secretary General of the National Assembly Kushani Rohanadeera and opposition leader in the National Assembly Sajith Premadasa at the ceremony.

On March 11, the 10th National Assembly of Sri Lanka held a ceremony to establish the Sri Lanka-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarians' Association under the chairmanship of Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne, Speaker of the Sri Lankan Parliament.

Also attending were Secretary General of the National Assembly Kushani Rohanadeera, opposition leader in the National Assembly Sajith Premadasa and a number of Ministers and Deputy Ministers who are members of the National Assembly.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Trinh Thi Tam attended the ceremony as the guest of honor and co-patron of the Association, along with Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya, Speaker of the National Assembly Jagath Wickramaratne and leader of the opposition in the National Assembly Sajith Premadasa.

Minister of Environment, Dr. Dammika Patabendi was elected as the President of the Sri Lanka-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarians' Association, and Ms. Hasara Liyanage, Member of the National Assembly, was elected as the Secretary of the Association. The Association has 15 members who are members of the 10th National Assembly of Sri Lanka.

Speaking at the ceremony, Speaker of the National Assembly Jagath Wickramaratne emphasized the long-standing traditional friendship between Vietnam and Sri Lanka, and assessed that the establishment of the Sri Lanka-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarians' Association marked a new milestone in the relationship between the two countries and the two parliaments, especially in the context that Sri Lanka is preparing to welcome a high-ranking delegation of Vietnamese National Assembly leaders to visit.

National Assembly Chairman Jagath Wickramaratne expressed his hope that the Association will have many meaningful activities, contributing to consolidating and developing the friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries and the two National Assemblies on the basis of mutual respect and understanding.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Trinh Thi Tam spoke at the ceremony.

Ambassador Trinh Thi Tam reviewed the good cooperation and the important role of the two countries' National Assemblies in maintaining and developing Vietnam-Sri Lanka relations over the past 55 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations (July 1970), including monitoring cooperation agreements signed at the Government level and coordinating at regional and international parliamentary mechanisms such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF)...

The Ambassador also emphasized the importance of establishing the Sri Lanka-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarians' Association in the context that Vietnam and Sri Lanka are promoting high-level delegation exchanges through various channels, including the National Assembly channel, and cooperation in various fields.

Expressing her belief that the Association will actively contribute to strengthening the good cooperative relationship between the two National Assemblies, as well as the friendly relations and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries, Ambassador Trinh Thi Tam affirmed that the Vietnamese Embassy in Sri Lanka is ready to support the Association in related activities.

President of the Sri Lanka-Vietnam Parliamentary Friendship Association and Minister of Environment, Dr. Dammika Patabendi spoke at the ceremony.

Environment Minister Dammika Patabendi, President of the Association, pledged to actively carry out meaningful and practical activities to enhance mutual understanding between the two Parliaments as well as to strengthen and deepen the relationship between Sri Lanka and Vietnam, for the common interests of the two countries.

Prior to the ceremony, Speaker of the National Assembly Jagath Wickramaratne sent an invitation to Vice Speaker of the National Assembly Nguyen Duc Hai to visit Sri Lanka at a convenient time.