Welcoming his guest, PM Chinh said President Widodo’s state visit to Vietnam holds special significance and will create new momentum for bilateral ties after over 10 years of the strategic partnership and ahead of the 70th anniversary of the diplomatic relations in 2025.

President Widodo affirmed that Vietnam is a partner of strategic importance of Indonesia in the region.

Both leaders shared the view that the strategic trust between their countries has been increasingly reinforced via frequent high-level mutual visits and meetings. The bilateral cooperation in such fields as security - defence, maritime affairs, agriculture, fisheries, education - training, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges has recorded a number of positive results.

Economic and trade cooperation is a bright spot of the bilateral relations. Indonesia registered over 1 billion USD in investment in Vietnam during January - November 2023, up 37% year on year. It is the third largest ASEAN trading partner of Vietnam, which in turn ranks fourth among trading partners of the former in the region, with bilateral trade approximating 13 billion USD in the 11 months, statistics showed.

To create a new impetus for the bilateral relations, the two leaders agreed to consider lifting the Vietnam - Indonesia strategic partnership to a new level. They agreed to continue increasing delegation exchanges and meetings at all levels, effectively implement bilateral cooperation mechanisms and signed high-level agreements and documents, and soon build an action plan for 2024 - 2028 that suits the new context.

They also concurred in working together to raise the bilateral trade to 15 billion USD and even 18 billion USD by 2028, facilitate and encourage the two countries’ businesses to invest in each other’s markets, and expand cooperation to new areas such as artificial intelligence, digital economy, green economy, renewable energy, and electric vehicle (EV) and EV battery ecosystem.

The two sides will also expand cooperation programmes within the framework of the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP), enhance ties in the Halal industry, boost connections in ensuring food security, and promote the signing of a deal on rice trading.

PM Chinh and President Widodo affirmed that Vietnam and Indonesia will foster ties in other important fields like defence, security, maritime affairs, the settlement of common sea-related challenges, fisheries, and the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. The two countries will also step up education - training cooperation, increase direct commercial flights, and promote people-to-people exchanges and locality-to-locality cooperation.

At the meeting, the two leaders also discussed some regional issues of shared concern. They agreed to continue the coordination with and support for each other at multilateral organisations; enhance collaboration to strengthen ASEAN’s solidarity, centrality, and common viewpoint on regional security issues, including the East Sea matter; and support Laos to fulfill the role of the ASEAN Chair in 2024.

PM Chinh invited Indonesia to send senior representatives to and support Vietnam to successfully host the ASEAN Future Forum on fast, sustainable, and people-centred development in 2024 to help build a resilient and sustainable ASEAN community.

Top legislator of Vietnam meets with Indonesian President

National Assembly (NA) Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue met with Indonesian President Joko Widodo, who is paying a three-day state visit to Vietnam, in Hanoi on January 12.

The host leader welcomed President Widodo on the latter’s second visit to Vietnam, which holds great significance after the two countries celebrated the 10th founding anniversary of their strategic partnership in 2023.

Vietnam has always treasured and exerted efforts to work with Indonesia to promote the strategic partnership in a more practical and extensive manner so as to meet their people's aspirations and interests as well as the two countries’ sound friendship and cooperation, founded by Presidents Ho Chi Minh and Sukarno and nurtured by generations of leaders, Chairman Hue stated.

President Widodo emphasised that the two countries’ strategic partnership has harvested concrete cooperation results, adding it is now time for Vietnam and Indonesia to strengthen bilateral connections, including in digitalisation and high technology, to obtain common achievements.

He highly valued the parliaments’ role in enhancing the strategic partnership, particularly in making laws and policies to accelerate energy transition, digital transformation, and innovation.

Echoing his guest’s view, the top legislator of Vietnam expressed his hope that the two countries will elevate the bilateral relations to a new level at an appropriate point of time.

Chairman Hue held that the increase of mutual visits at all levels and via all channels, the improvement of the existing cooperation mechanisms’ effectiveness, and the expansion of cooperation between the two countries’ localities and friendship associations will help foster people-to-people ties. He also called on both sides to enhance collaboration in the Halal industry, rice trading, and investment and business partnerships.

President Widodo said the two sides should actively cooperate with each other to devise concrete policies and measures to raise bilateral trade to 15 billion USD by 2028.

At the meeting, the NA Chairman affirmed that Vietnam will continue creating the optimal conditions for foreign investors, including Indonesian ones. He asked Indonesia to provide favourable conditions and legal procedures for a joint venture between the two countries to become operational soon in the archipelago nation to help build an electric vehicle and battery ecosystem.

He also stressed the need for the two sides to carry out the existing mechanisms on maritime cooperation, reinforce ties in maritime affairs and sustainable fishing, and work together to settle fishermen and fishing boat-related issues in a goodwill and humanitarian manner in line with the strategic partnership.

Vietnam and Indonesia should coordinate more closely via the government and parliamentary channels to help enhance the solidarity, unanimity, and centrality of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), bring into play the role of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA), and maintain peace and stability in the region, the top legislator said.

The two nations also need to cooperate in accordance with ASEAN’s viewpoint on the East Sea, promote the implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), and coordinate in the negotiations on an efficient and effective Code of Conduct (COC) that matches international law and the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), he added.

President Widodo spoke highly of the close cooperation between the Vietnamese NA and the House of Representatives of Indonesia, welcoming the two legislative bodies’ signing of a cooperation agreement in August 2023. He also affirmed support for stronger ties, experience sharing, and exchanges, including visits by high-ranking delegations.

Chairman Hue suggested the two countries support each other at regional and international forums, especially ASEAN, AIPA, ASEAN-led mechanisms, the UN, and the Non-Aligned Movement, on international and regional security and strategic issues.

Meanwhile, the Indonesian President voiced his support for Vietnam’s initiative to host the ASEAN Future Forum on fast, sustainable, and people-centred development, and affirmed that Indonesia will send senior representatives to the event./.VNA