Sri Lanka wants Vietnamese businesses to invest in transport infrastructure

Ambassador Trinh Thi Tam and Minister Bimal Rathnayake at the meeting. (Photo: VNA)

According to the Vietnam News Agency correspondent in South Asia, in order to further strengthen bilateral relations in the context of the two countries celebrating the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations (1970-2025), on February 7, the Vietnamese Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Trinh Thi Tam, met and worked with the Minister of Transport, Roads, Ports and Civil Aviation, Bimal Rathnayake, at the Sri Lankan Parliament House.

Mr. Bimal Rathnayake is also the Head of Foreign Affairs of the Sri Lanka People's Liberation Front (JVP) and the JVP leader in the Sri Lankan Parliament .

During the meeting, Ambassador Trinh Thi Tam congratulated Mr. Bimal Rathnayake on his appointment as Minister of Transport, Roads, Ports and Civil Aviation of Sri Lanka; and congratulated the JVP party on its victory in the 2024 presidential and parliamentary elections.

The Ambassador also thanked Minister Bimal Rathnayake, in her role as Head of the JVP's External Relations Department, for her support in organizing the recent 95th anniversary celebration of the founding of the Communist Party of Vietnam on February 3rd.

In addition, Ambassador Trinh Thi Tam highly appreciated the good traditional friendship between Vietnam and Sri Lanka, expressing her desire to further promote bilateral relations through Party, Government, and Parliament channels, as well as people-to-people exchanges, during her term of office.

On this occasion, the Ambassador provided information on the diplomatic and cultural activities that the Vietnamese Embassy in Sri Lanka plans to implement during the anniversary year to promote bilateral cooperation in various fields, including trade, investment, transportation, aviation, infrastructure, etc.

The Ambassador expressed his hope that the 5th Session of the Joint Committee on Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation at the Foreign Minister level between Vietnam and Sri Lanka, scheduled to be held in Sri Lanka this year, will be an opportunity for both sides to exchange views on issues of mutual interest in order to promote more effective and substantive cooperation.

Regarding economic cooperation, Ambassador Trinh Thi Tam stated that Sri Lankan businesses are interested in importing electric vehicles from Vietnam, in addition to other products, considering this a potential area for trade and transportation cooperation between the two countries.

Both sides are also working to promote the establishment of direct flights between the two countries based on the Air Transport Agreement signed in 2012.

For his part, Minister Bimal Rathnayake affirmed the close relationship between the JVP party and the Communist Party of Vietnam, President Ho Chi Minh, and the Vietnamese Embassy.

He expressed strong support for future cooperation initiatives between the two countries, including exchanges of high-level and other delegations, and the organization of bilateral meetings on the sidelines of multilateral conferences.

Ambassador Trinh Thi Tam and Minister Bimal Rathnaya exchange views at the meeting. (Photo: VNA)

Minister Bimal Rathnayake also announced the new Parliament's plan to establish a Sri Lanka-Vietnam Parliamentary Friendship Group, and proposed that Vietnam strengthen cooperation with the Sri Lankan Parliamentary Committee for Women.

Minister Bimal Rathnayake stated that Sri Lanka is prioritizing the development of its rail, road, air, and port infrastructure, and called on Vietnamese businesses to invest.

Sri Lanka is also planning to import new buses to improve the quality of its current bus system, with electric buses being a priority; Sri Lanka plans to organize a symposium on electric vehicles, and will inform interested Vietnamese businesses to attend.

Minister Bimal Rathnayake also expressed support for the establishment of the Sri Lanka-Vietnam Trade Council to facilitate trade cooperation between the two countries.

He welcomed activities aimed at strengthening cultural and Buddhist exchanges between the two countries, appreciated the Vietnamese Embassy's idea of naming a street in Colombo after President Ho Chi Minh to honor him, and promised to discuss the idea further with Sri Lankan authorities.