VietNamNet Bridge – A ceremony marking 60-year ties between Vietnam and Indonesia was held in Hanoi on December 30.

Indonesian Ambassador to Vietnam Mayerfas speaks at the event. (Photo: VNA)

Opening the event, Chairman of the Vietnam – Indonesia Friendship Association Nguyen Dang Tien recalled milestones accomplished by the two nations.

Vietnam and Indonesia established diplomatic ties at the consular level on December 30, 1955 and upgraded to ambassadorial level a decade later. In 2003, during former Indonesian President Megawati’s trip to Vietnam, both sides signed a comprehensive partnership agreement.

They agreed to elevate bilateral ties to strategic partnership in September 2011 as Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung visited Indonesia. The partnership was realised in June 2013 during President Truong Tan Sang’s Indonesia visit. In October 2013, the two countries’ foreign ministers inked an action plan to implement Vietnam-Indonesia strategic partnership for 2014-2018.

Indonesia is Vietnam’s fourth largest trade partner in ASEAN. The two countries target to raise two-way trade to 10 billion USD by 2018 from 5.6 billion USD in 2014.

The two nations have maintained strong security-defence relations through cooperation at ASEAN’s regional forum and defence minister conferences.

In terms of education, 200 Vietnamese students are studying in Indonesia. The figure is anticipated to follow an upward trend moving forward.

Every year, 50,000 Vietnamese tourists arrive in Indonesia, and 80,000 Indonesians travelled to Vietnam.

Indonesian Ambassador to Vietnam Mayerfas said he was delighted at these achievements and expressed his belief in the ties’ future development.

The ceremony featured a musical concert performed by Vietnamese and Indonesian troupes.

Congratulations on 60th anniversary of Vietnam-Indonesia relationship

Vietnamese leaders sent messages of congratulations to their Indonesian counterparts on December 30 on the 60th anniversary of the two countries’ diplomatic relationship.

President Truong Tan Sang and Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung conveyed their greetings to Indonesian President Joko Widodo.

The same day, Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan extended congratulations to Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs cabled similar message to Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi.

Vietnam and Indonesia established diplomatic ties on December 30, 1955 at the General Consulate level, which was lifted to the Embassy level ten years later.

During Indonesian President Megawati’s visit to Vietnam in 2003, the two sides inked a comprehensive partnership agreement, paving the way for a future all-around cooperation framework.

In September 2011, on the occasion of Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung’s visit to the country, two nations agreed to upgrade their ties to a strategic partnership, which was realised in June, 2013 when President Truong Tan Sang toured Indonesia.

In October 2013, the two countries’ Foreign Ministers signed an action plan for implementing the strategic partnership mechanism from 2014-2018.

Two-way trade increased to 5.4 billion USD in 2014 from only 1.6 billion in 2006, achieving the turnover target one year ahead of schedule. The figure is expected to hit 10 billion USD in 2018.

Indonesia is currently the four largest trade partner of Vietnam.

Apart from trade links, connections in other sectors also recorded stellar results. The average number of Indonesian visitors to Vietnam reaches 80,000 people every year while those from Vietnam to Indonesia number around 50,000.

Vietnam and Indonesia are maintaining two cooperation mechanisms: the Joint Cooperation Committee on Science and Technology and the Bilateral Cooperation Committee, which contribute remarkably to stepping up bilateral affiliations.

VNA