Vietnam and Sri Lanka issue joint statement.

During the state visit of General Secretary and President To Lam to Sri Lanka from May 7-8, Vietnam and Sri Lanka issued a joint statement on upgrading their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

Thanh Nien Newspaper respectfully presents the full text of the statement:

General Secretary and President To Lam and the President of Sri Lanka at the welcoming ceremony.

PHOTO: VNA

1. At the invitation of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam and President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, To Lam, paid a State visit to Sri Lanka from May 7 to 8, 2026. On May 8, 2026, at the Presidential Palace in Colombo, General Secretary and President To Lam attended a solemn welcoming ceremony with a 21-gun salute and held talks with the President of Sri Lanka. The two leaders also co-chaired a press conference and laid wreaths at the monument of President Ho Chi Minh in the grounds of the Colombo Public Library. General Secretary and President To Lam met with and attended the opening ceremony of the Vietnam-Sri Lanka Trade, Investment and Tourism Forum in Colombo with Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya; met with Speaker of Parliament Jagath Wickramaratne and delivered a speech in the Sri Lankan Parliament.

2. The visit reaffirms the traditional friendship and trust built over the past 55 years on a foundation of mutual respect, shared values, and commitments to peace, stability, and development. Bilateral relations are further strengthened by a shared aspiration for peace, independence, and self-reliance, and by a shared vision for security, economic prosperity, sustainable development, and adherence to international law, including the United Nations Charter.

3. During the talks, President Dissanayake extended warm congratulations to Comrade To Lam on his re-election as General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam and President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, expressing deep trust and confidence. President Dissanayake expressed his firm belief that, under the wise leadership of General Secretary and President To Lam, Vietnam will continue to achieve great successes and more sustainable development.

The two leaders had a comprehensive and substantive exchange on bilateral, regional, and international issues of mutual interest. Both sides expressed satisfaction with the development of the traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation between the two countries and officially announced the upgrading of bilateral relations to a Comprehensive Partnership.

With the upgrading of bilateral relations to a Comprehensive Partnership, the two leaders committed to further consolidating and strengthening friendly cooperation, establishing a high level of political trust, and expanding the scale and scope of cooperation in a comprehensive and substantive manner across all fields. This upgrade is also based on respect for international law, independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, political systems, and non-interference in each other's internal affairs.

I. Political, defense and security cooperation

4. The two leaders agreed to continue strengthening contacts and exchanges at high levels and at all levels through all channels, including people-to-people exchanges, to further deepen political trust between the two countries, while emphasizing the importance of effectively implementing existing bilateral cooperation mechanisms.

5. Both sides also agreed on the importance and need to promote cooperation between the legislative bodies of the two countries through exchanges between committees, especially between the group of female parliamentarians and the group of young parliamentarians; and to promote the establishment of the Vietnam-Sri Lanka Parliamentary Friendship Group.

6. Both sides agreed to effectively implement the memorandum of understanding on defense cooperation signed in 2011; encourage more substantive cooperation activities, especially in training United Nations peacekeeping forces; agree to cooperate in areas such as defense equipment repair and procurement services; expedite negotiations towards signing cooperation agreements in the defense sector to create a basis for cooperation; and strengthen cooperation in information exchange and defense technology transfer.

7. The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen security cooperation and agreed to effectively implement the security dialogue mechanism; review and update the Cooperation Agreement on combating and preventing crime signed in 2009; coordinate efforts to combat transnational crime, cybercrime, terrorism, and illegal immigration; and expand cooperation in maritime security, policing, and cybersecurity.

8. Both sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in the field of law and justice between the two countries through the negotiation and signing of a new memorandum of cooperation between the two Ministries of Justice to replace the memorandum signed in 2013 which has expired.

II. Cooperation in economics, trade, investment, agriculture, energy, science and technology

9. The two leaders emphasized the importance of bilateral trade and investment cooperation. Both sides agreed to enhance the substantive effectiveness of the Joint Trade Sub-Committee mechanism and implement practical measures to strengthen trade cooperation, including trade facilitation, information exchange, and business promotion. The two leaders acknowledged the enormous potential for further expanding economic cooperation and agreed to aim for a bilateral trade turnover of US$1 billion by 2030. In this context, Vietnam noted Sri Lanka's desire to soon become a member of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).

10. The two leaders also agreed to continue to strongly promote investment flows between the two countries. Vietnam highly appreciates Sri Lanka's investment in Vietnam; Sri Lanka expressed its desire to attract more investment from Vietnam. Both sides will continue to improve the investment and business environment, aiming for a number of iconic projects in fields such as infrastructure, telecommunications, education, healthcare, high-tech agriculture, agricultural and aquatic product processing, food, retail, logistics, tourism infrastructure, and renewable energy.

11. Both sides agreed to promote cooperation in scientific research and technological development in the fields of biotechnology, information technology, electrical engineering, electronics, and automation; to promote the signing of cooperation documents on digital transformation; and to encourage and facilitate cooperation in the development and provision of information technology products and services.

12. The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation in priority areas such as agriculture, forestry, and fisheries, while emphasizing the importance of knowledge-sharing and capacity-building initiatives. Both sides also agreed to actively implement the 2024-2026 work plan based on the 2009 Memorandum of Understanding on Agricultural Development Cooperation and to prepare plans for the next phase.

13. Sri Lanka has requested Vietnam to supply fertilizers for rice cultivation under a government-level agreement. Considering the importance of agriculture to both countries and the current supply challenges, Vietnam is positively considering this request.

III. Expanding cooperation in culture, education, religion, and people-to-people exchanges.

14. Recognizing the excellent relationship between the two countries, built on a foundation of long-standing friendship, with Buddhist exchanges spanning centuries and stemming from shared values ​​and rich cultural heritage, both sides agreed to promote cooperation in preserving and promoting cultural heritage values; strengthen the development and implementation of exchange programs and the promotion of culture, history, and sports; enhance connections between Buddhist organizations; promote intercultural dialogue and explore the possibility of organizing forums, pilgrimages, and co-hosting regional and international Buddhist events.

15. The two leaders emphasized the importance of ensuring the effective implementation of existing bilateral mechanisms in the field of information and communication; and agreed to cooperate in producing radio and television programs showcasing the culture, people, and history of both countries.

16. Within the framework of the Education Cooperation Agreement, both sides agreed to encourage linkages between universities and research institutes of both countries, and to implement the exchange of students and researchers between the two countries.

17. The two leaders noted the progress made in efforts to launch direct flights between the two countries this year, aiming to enhance connectivity and promote effective cooperation in tourism, trade, and people-to-people exchanges.

18. Sri Lanka and Vietnam acknowledge the importance of promoting cooperation between friendship and solidarity associations of the two countries; agree to strengthen friendly exchanges, including exchanges between youth and women, and further expand people-to-people exchanges.

IV. Multilateral cooperation and close coordination on regional and international issues of common concern.

19. The two leaders reaffirmed the importance of strengthening regional and multilateral cooperation, particularly within the framework of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), considering it a crucial platform for dialogue, confidence-building, and substantive cooperation on issues of common concern. The two leaders appreciated the close coordination, including the recent co-chairing of the ARF mid-term meeting on disaster relief, and agreed to further enhance cooperation in disaster management and humanitarian assistance. Sri Lanka expressed its desire to become an ASEAN Sectoral Dialogue Partner and thanked Vietnam for its continued support on this matter.

20. Sri Lanka and Vietnam reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace, stability, and freedom of navigation, and stressed the significance of respecting and adhering to international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), in order to ensure a stable and peaceful international maritime order.

21. Both sides agreed to support multilateralism with the United Nations at its center; agreed to strengthen close coordination and mutual support in international and regional forums and organizations such as the United Nations , the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), South-South Cooperation, the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF), and the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA).

22. The two leaders also exchanged views on global challenges, including climate change; emphasizing the importance of joint action, particularly supporting developing countries through access to climate finance and technology transfer. Both sides agreed to promote cooperation in combating terrorism, transnational crime, and cybercrime. Sri Lanka expressed support for the initiative to establish a regional center for combating cybercrime by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Hanoi.

23. During the visit, the two countries signed several cooperation documents on security, science and technology, religion, culture, information and communication.

24. The General Secretary and President sincerely thanked the Government and people of Sri Lanka for the respectful, friendly, and warm welcome extended to the delegation during their state visit to Sri Lanka.

APPENDIX TO THE SIGNED DOCUMENT

1. Memorandum of Understanding between the People's Police Academy, Ministry of Public Security of Vietnam and the National Police Academy, Ministry of Public Security of Sri Lanka and Parliamentary Affairs.

2. Memorandum of Cooperation between the Ministry of Science and Technology of Vietnam and the Ministry of Science and Technology of Sri Lanka on scientific and technological fields.

3. Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Ethnic Minorities and Religions of Vietnam and the Ministry of Buddhism, Religion and Culture of Sri Lanka.

4. Memorandum of Understanding on Cultural Cooperation between the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Vietnam and the Ministry of Buddhism, Religion and Culture of Sri Lanka.

5. Memorandum of Cooperation on Information and Communication between the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Vietnam and the Ministry of Health and Mass Communications of Sri Lanka.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/viet-nam-sri-lanka-ra-tuyen-bo-chung-185260508220938479.htm