Receiving Sri Lankan Ambassador Poshitha Perera, the General Secretary and President congratulated Mr. Poshitha Perera on his appointment as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Sri Lanka to Vietnam; expressing confidence that with his experience as a professional diplomat and his understanding of the region, the Ambassador will make many practical contributions to promoting the good development of Vietnam-Sri Lanka relations.

General Secretary and President To Lam receives credentials from the Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Vietnam, Poshitha Perera. Photo: Lam Khanh/VNA.

The General Secretary and President also congratulated Sri Lanka on gradually overcoming difficulties, achieving stability, experiencing positive economic growth, developing the country, and making important contributions to regional and global stability; emphasizing that the Ambassador's term also coincides with the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations (2025) between the two countries, providing a favorable opportunity to strengthen bilateral relations.

Agreeing with the Ambassador's assessments of the future direction of bilateral relations, the General Secretary and President stated that it is necessary to focus on promoting and strengthening political trust; and on exchanges of delegations and contacts at high levels and other levels.

Regarding economic relations, the General Secretary and President affirmed that Vietnam is committed to supporting Sri Lanka in agricultural development; promoting people-to-people exchanges, tourism development, and business between the two countries; and agreed to open direct flights to facilitate people-to-people exchanges. Vietnam is ready to act as a bridge for Sri Lanka to expand its cooperation with ASEAN and is committed to supporting Sri Lanka in multilateral forums, especially at the United Nations.

General Secretary and President To Lam receives Sri Lankan Ambassador to Vietnam Poshitha Perera. Photo: Lam Khanh/VNA.

Ambassador Positha Perera expressed her delight at the very positive developments in bilateral relations; affirming that this serves as a foundation for achieving more breakthroughs in cooperation between the two countries in recent times.

Recalling the traditional relationship between the two countries, the Ambassador said that President Ho Chi Minh visited Sri Lanka three times during his lifetime, affirming that the people of Sri Lanka always cherish the image of President Ho Chi Minh in their hearts.

Affirming that relations between the two countries are developing well, especially in the fields of education, agriculture, and religion, Ambassador Poshitha Perera expressed her pleasure at witnessing Vietnam's agricultural achievements and her desire to focus on promoting agricultural cooperation in the future; she also expressed her hope that during her term, a direct flight route between Vietnam and Sri Lanka would be opened to enhance people-to-people exchanges and develop tourism.

* Receiving Austrian Ambassador Philippo Agathonnos, General Secretary and President To Lam congratulated the Ambassador on his new term of service in Vietnam; expressing confidence that, with his experience and dynamism, the Ambassador will contribute to further promoting the development of relations between the two countries.

General Secretary and President To Lam receives credentials from the Ambassador of the Republic of Austria to Vietnam, Philippo Agathonnos. Photo: Lam Khanh/VNA.

General Secretary and President To Lam stated that Vietnam always values ​​the development of traditional friendship and cooperation with Austria; he expressed satisfaction that, after more than half a century of establishment and development, the Vietnam-Austria friendship has made remarkable progress in various fields such as politics and diplomacy, economics, development cooperation, and people-to-people exchanges. In the political field, the exchange of delegations at all levels, especially at the high level and through various channels, has created an important impetus for promoting cooperation between the two countries.

General Secretary and President To Lam highly appreciated the cooperation projects between the two countries that have been effectively implemented in recent years, making positive contributions to Vietnam's socio-economic development. Along with that, cooperation in the fields of culture and education, science and technology, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges has also developed well.

To further promote multifaceted cooperation between the two countries, General Secretary and President To Lam requested that the Ambassador, during his term, promote exchanges of delegations at all levels, especially at the high level, to strengthen political trust and thereby create momentum for extensive cooperation in various fields. At the same time, he urged close coordination and effective utilization of the benefits of the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA); encouraged and facilitated Austrian businesses to increase cooperation, investment, and technology transfer to Vietnam; and urged the Austrian Parliament to expedite the ratification of the Vietnam-EU Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) to create favorable conditions for equal and mutually beneficial investment relations between the two sides and for Austrian businesses investing and operating in Vietnam.

General Secretary and President To Lam expressed his confidence that during his term, the Ambassador would actively contribute to nurturing and promoting the traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation between Vietnam and Austria.

Thanking the General Secretary and President for taking the time to receive him, Ambassador Philippo Agathonnos took this opportunity to express his deepest condolences to the Government and people of Vietnam for the heavy losses caused by Typhoon Yagi. The Ambassador stated that, after more than half a century of establishing diplomatic relations, the cooperative relationship between the two countries has increasingly developed and deepened in various fields such as politics, diplomacy, economics, people-to-people exchanges, and culture. The Ambassador highly appreciated the cooperative relationship between the EU and Vietnam, emphasizing that this is a favorable condition for promoting multifaceted cooperation between the two countries in the future.

General Secretary and President To Lam receives Ambassador of the Republic of Austria to Vietnam Philipos Agathonnos. Photo: Lam Khanh/VNA.

The ambassador stated that Austria also has strengths in the fields of cybersecurity, search and rescue, and expressed a desire to cooperate with Vietnam. He also affirmed that during his term, he would promote the development and deepening of cooperative relations between Austria and Vietnam and other EU countries.

* Earlier that morning, the General Secretary and President received the credentials of 14 ambassadors concurrently accredited to Costa Rica, Malta, Sudan, Zambia, Mauritius, Uganda, Ghana, Ethiopia, Guinea-Bissau, Rwanda, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Botswana, and Bhutan.

Speaking at the reception, on behalf of the Party, State, and people of Vietnam, the General Secretary and President warmly welcomed the newly appointed Ambassadors to their new posts in Vietnam.

The General Secretary and President affirmed that throughout the nearly 80 years of Vietnam's development, the support, assistance, and companionship of international friends, including the countries represented by the Ambassadors, have been indispensable; emphasizing that Vietnam always remembers and is deeply grateful for the valuable support and assistance that the people of the world have given to Vietnam.

According to the General Secretary and President, after nearly 40 years of reform, Vietnam is standing at a new historical starting point, "a new era, an era of the Vietnamese nation's resurgence." From a country devastated by war, Vietnam is now known as a symbol of peace, stability, and hospitality, an attractive destination for tourists and international investors. Vietnam has risen to become one of the 40 largest economies in the world, with a trade volume among the top 20 countries globally, and has established diplomatic relations with 193 countries, as well as strategic and comprehensive partnerships with 30 countries worldwide. With the happiness and well-being of the people as its ultimate goal, Vietnam is striving to realize its development goals by 2030, the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Party, and 2045, the 100th anniversary of the founding of the nation, aiming to transform Vietnam into a developed, high-income country.

General Secretary and President To Lam emphasized that, in the face of the current global changes, Vietnam continues to steadfastly pursue its foreign policy of "independence, self-reliance, peace, friendship, cooperation and development, diversification and multilateralization of foreign relations" and "being a friend, a reliable partner and an active, responsible member of the international community".

The General Secretary and President expressed confidence that, through cooperation, Vietnam and other countries can work together to build a peaceful and sustainable developed world, a just international political and economic order based on the fundamental principles of the United Nations Charter and international law, and in addressing common global issues.

Expressing his desire to continue receiving the support and close cooperation of friends and partners worldwide, General Secretary and President To Lam hoped that the Ambassadors, during their terms of office, would effectively fulfill their role as "bridges" of friendship and cooperation, further cultivating and developing relations between Vietnam and the countries they represent; and affirmed that Vietnam would create all conditions for the Ambassadors to successfully complete their tasks.

According to hanoimoi.vn