Mr. Speaker [The Hon. (Dr.) Jagath Wickramaratne]

¶ 01 Your Excellency To Lam, President of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam and General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Viet Nam, it is with great pleasure that I warmly welcome Your Excellency to the Parliament of Sri Lanka.

¶ 02 At the outset, I wish to express my sincere thanks to Your Excellency for choosing the Parliament of Sri Lanka as the venue for your first Address to a foreign Parliament. This gesture reflects the deep respect and friendship that exist between Viet Nam and Sri Lanka and stands as a significant milestone in the long-standing relations between our two nations. Sri Lanka and Viet Nam share a deep-rooted friendship built on mutual respect, historical goodwill and strong cultural and spiritual ties, particularly through the enduring bond of Buddhism. The relationship between our two countries spanned several decades with the formal diplomatic relations established in 1970 and consular relations dating back to 1964. The Founder of modern Viet Nam, President Ho Chi Minh also visited Sri Lanka on several occasions and Sri Lanka was among the first countries to support Viet Nam during its struggle against French and US occupation. The recent visit to Sri Lanka by the venerable monk of Vietnamese origin, Pannakara Thero, for peace and spiritual walk further symbolizes the strong religious and cultural connection between our people. Such exchanges continue to strengthen the shared Buddhist heritage and reinforce the value of peace, harmony and mutual understanding that unite our nations.

¶ 03 I also wish to acknowledge the significant progress made in Parliamentary diplomacy between our two countries. The establishment of the Sri Lanka–Viet Nam Parliamentary Friendship Group in the Tenth Parliament on 11th of March, 2025 marked an important milestone in strengthening cooperation between the Parliament of Sri Lanka and the National Assembly of Viet Nam. This initiative reflects our shared commitment to fostering closer legislative engagement and deeper institutional collaboration. Your Excellency’s visit follows the successful State visit of His Excellency President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to Viet Nam in May, 2025, which coincided with the celebration of the 55th Anniversary of diplomatic relations between our two countries. That visit further elevated bilateral relations and opened new avenues of cooperation in trade, investment, defence, agriculture, tourism, education, technology and political engagements. Today, as we gather in this distinguished Chamber, we do so with confidence in the future of Sri Lanka–Viet Nam relations.

¶ 04 Your presence here is a powerful symbol of friendship, solidarity and our shared aspiration for peace, prosperity and regional cooperation. On behalf of the Parliament of Sri Lanka, I extend to Your Excellency a warm and sincere welcome and invite you to address this August Assembly.