Indonesia values its strategic partnership with Vietnam: President-elect Subianto
VOV.VN - Indonesia always values its traditional friendship and cooperative relations with Vietnam, its only strategic partner in ASEAN, and seeks to implement more measures to make their strategic partnership increasingly substantive, President-elect Prabowo Subianto told Vietnamese Party General Secretary and President To Lam at a reception in Hanoi on September 13.
Subianto, who is in Hanoi for September 13-14 visit, congratulated Vietnam on recording significant milestones in economic development, helping to elevate its standing globally. He also expressed deep sympathy for the significant human and property losses caused by Typhoon Yagi and subsequent landslides and flashfloods in northern Vietnam.
To Lam for his part welcomed Subianto’s visit, demonstrating Indonesia’s desire to further foster the strategic partnership between the two countries.
He commended Indonesia for its recent achievements in socio-economic development, pointing out that Indonesia has become the largest economy in Southeast Asia and one of the fastest-growing digital markets globally. He also acknowledged Indonesia’s numerous initiatives and positive contributions to peace and cooperation in the region and the wider world.
The two leaders praised the positive developments in the Vietnam-Indonesia strategic partnership in recent times, through maintaining high-level exchanges and meetings. Cooperation in security and defense, maritime affairs, culture, tourism, transportation, and people-to-people exchanges, as well as local connectivity, has been actively promoted.
In ASEAN, Indonesia is Vietnam’s third largest trading partner, while Vietnam is Indonesia’s fourth largest trading partner. Trade between the two countries has increased nearly fourfold over the past decade. Businesses of the two countries are enhancing investments in each other’s markets in key sectors such as processing and manufacturing, accommodation services, trade, information technology, agriculture, and industry.
The two sides discussed cooperation directions to elevate bilateral relations to new heights. They agreed to further strengthen political trust through high-level exchanges and meetings, bring into full play bilateral mechanisms, formulate an Action Program for the next five-year phase of the strategic partnership, and coordinate practical activities to commemorate 70 years of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Indonesia in 2025.
Both sides affirmed their determination to increase bilateral trade to US$18 billion by 2028 through trade promotion and business connections, along with addressing trade difficulties and barriers to facilitate access to each other’s markets.
The leaders agreed to continue encouraging and facilitating investments by businesses from both countries in each other’s markets, particularly in emerging fields such as digital economy, green economy, energy transition, and development of electric vehicle ecosystems.
To Lam affirmed Vietnam’s readiness to enhance cooperation with Indonesia in ensuring food security, and at the same time requested Indonesia to facilitate access for Vietnamese agricultural products and Halal products to its market.
The two sides consented to strengthen cooperation in other important areas such as defense and security, information sharing, and coordination in combating transnational crime. They also committed to closely working together to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
To Lam requested that Indonesia support and share experiences in training Vietnamese officers participating in United Nations peacekeeping missions.
Regarding regional and international issues of mutual concern, both sides agreed to continue coordinating and supporting each other in various forums and organizations, especially ASEAN, the United Nations, and the Non-Aligned Movement. They emphasized the importance of sustainable and equitable development in sub-regions of the area.
The two leaders reaffirmed the importance of peace, stability, safety, security, and freedom of navigation and overflight in the East Sea. They committed to maintaining ASEAN’s unity, common stance, and achievements on the East Sea and advancing negotiations on a practical and effective Code of Conduct (COC) in accordance with international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
To Lam expected that Indonesia will support and send high-level representatives to the ASEAN Future Forum 2025 and the Partnership for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030 (P4G) Summit.
