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Sri Lanka and Viet Nam strengthen diplomatic ties during historic visit
View(s):A historic chapter in Sri Lanka-Viet Nam ties unfolded this week as the Sri Lanka hosted Vietnamese President To Lam for a two-day state visit. President Lam is also the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam and undertook the visit following an invitation by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on his visit to Viet Nam last year, in commemoration of the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations.
The welcoming ceremony for the Vietnamese President took place at the Presidential Secretariat on Friday (8). He was accorded full state honours including a ceremonial gun salute and a Tri-Forces Guard of Honour.
Guard of honour for President To Lam (above); bilateral talks in progress (top) and President Dissanayake and President Lam paying floral tributes to the statue of former Vietnamese President Ho Chi Minh
Five memoranda of understanding (MoUs) covering key sectors were signed during the ceremony that followed. These covered tourism, security cooperation, religious and cultural affairs, civil and commercial engagement, transport, economic cooperation, and science and technology. The two presidents held a joint media briefing following the MoU signing.
President Dissanayake and President Lam also visited the Colombo Public Library, where they paid floral tributes to the statue of former Vietnamese President Ho Chi Minh at the library premises. President To Lam also viewed a collection of paintings by schoolchildren and attended the ceremony marking the commencement of the expansion of the “Viet Nam – Ho Chi Minh Space” at the library.
Later on Friday afternoon, President Lam was accorded the rare honour of addressing Sri Lanka’s Parliament. In doing so, he became the first visiting Head of State under the NPP government to address the country’s parliament. He was also the first visiting Head of State to address parliament in 11 years.
“Although Viet Nam and Sri Lanka are geographically distant, our histories, cultures and development aspirations are closely connected. Both nations possess long-standing traditions and value compassion, tolerance and harmony. Buddhism and Eastern cultural values have helped nurture peace, fraternity, collectivism and humanism,” President Lam said in his address.
“From Hanoi to Colombo and from the East Sea to the Indian Ocean, we share a common belief: peace is our foundation, the people are at the centre, and development is our goal,” he added.
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