Sri Lankan parliament speaker concludes Vietnam visit

Speaker of the Sri Lankan Parliament Karu Jayasuriya wrapped up his official visit to Vietnam on April 27.

Speaker of the Sri Lankan Parliament Karu Jayasuriya and Chairwoman of the Vietnamese NA, Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan.
Speaker of the Sri Lankan Parliament Karu Jayasuriya and Chairwoman of the Vietnamese NA, Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan.

During the visit from April 23-27, the Sri Lankan parliament leader held talks with his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan; paid a courtesy visit to General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong; received representatives from the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha and the leaders of Ninh Binh province; and attended the Sri Lanka Cultural Festival in Hanoi.

During the talks and meetings, the two sides agreed to promote cooperation in several fields, including oil and gas, infrastructure, information and communication technology, textile-garment, leather-footwear, farm produce processing and distribution, renewable energy and aviation and maritime transport. They also agreed to push for an aviation connection to facilitate trade and help both countries to tap their tourism potential.

Regarding their defence ties, the two sides vowed to enhance their collaboration in logistics, overcoming war consequences and UN peacekeeping activities. The two sides also pledged to share information and experience and enhance their capacity in preventing and fighting trans-national crime and terrorism.

On their legislative ties, the two sides shared the view that the two parliaments will maintain and increase the exchange of delegations at all levels to share information and experience in law making and supervision work, while boosting mutual support and coordination at regional and international forums, including the Inter-Parliament Union (IPU).

The visit of the Sri Lankan parliament speaker ended with positive outcomes, contributing to cementing and developing the friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries.