Sri Lanka, Vietnam Sign Five Key MoUs During President Tô Lâm’s State Visit

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka and Vietnam signed five Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) at the President’s Office in Colombo, with the exchanges witnessed by President of Sri Lanka Anura Kumara Dissanayake and President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Tô Lâm.

The agreements marked a significant step in strengthening bilateral cooperation across multiple sectors.

The first MoU was signed between the People’s Police Academy of the Ministry of Public Security of Vietnam and the National Police Academy of Sri Lanka, focusing on cooperation in police training and scientific research. The agreement was exchanged by Sri Lanka’s Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala and Vietnam’s Minister of Public Security, General Luong Tam Quang.

The second MoU was concluded between the Ministry of Science and Technology of Sri Lanka and the Ministry of Science and Technology of Vietnam, aimed at expanding cooperation in the fields of science and technology. It was exchanged by Sri Lanka’s Minister of Science and Technology Dr. Chrishantha Abeysena and Vietnam’s Minister of Science and Technology, Prof. Dr. Vu Hai Quan.

A third MoU was signed between Vietnam’s Ministry of Ethnic and Religious Affairs and Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Buddha Sasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs. The agreement was exchanged by Sri Lanka’s Minister Dr. Hiniduma Sunil Senevi and Vietnam’s Minister of Ethnic and Religious Affairs Nguyễn Đình Khang.

The fourth MoU, focusing on cultural cooperation, was exchanged between Dr. Hiniduma Sunil Senevi, Minister of Buddha Sasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs of Sri Lanka, and Vietnam’s Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports, and Tourism Ho An Phong.

The fifth MoU, covering cooperation in the field of information and communications, was exchanged between Vietnam’s Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports, and Tourism Ho An Phong and Sri Lanka’s Deputy Minister of Mass Media, Dr. Kaushalya Ariyarathne.

President Tô Lâm arrived in Sri Lanka on the night of May 7 at the invitation of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, commencing a State Visit to the island. .

He was warmly received at Bandaranaike International Airport in Katunayake by Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya, Minister of Environment Dr. Dammika Patabendi, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Employment Arun Hemachandra, and senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Vietnamese President is accompanied by a diplomatic delegation that includes several senior ministers of the Vietnamese Government and prominent political leaders, including the Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam.

The state visit is being undertaken following an invitation extended by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake during his state visit to Vietnam in 2025, in commemoration of the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and Vietnam.

An official welcome ceremony for President Tô Lâm was held on May 8 at the Presidential Secretariat under the patronage of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. Following the ceremony, the two leaders held bilateral discussions on matters of mutual importance.

Further discussions between the Vietnamese delegation and representatives of the Government of Sri Lanka are also expected, covering several key areas of cooperation.