Top legislator’s Indonesia visit expected to deepen bilateral strategic partners

The top legislator will attend the 44th General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA-44) and make official visits to Indonesia and Iran from August 4 to 10.

The activities are made at the invitations of Speaker of the Indonesian House of Representatives and AIPA President Puan Maharani; and Speaker of the Iranian Consultative Assembly Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf.

The Indonesia visit will take place in the context of the two countries celebrating the 68th anniversary of the bilateral diplomatic ties (December 30, 1955) and the 10th anniversary of their strategic partnership (June 2013).

Indonesia was the first Southeast Asian nation with which Vietnam established diplomatic ties. Their traditional friendship has been built on the foundation created by President Ho Chi Minh and President Sukarno, and promoted by generations of leaders and people of the two countries.

Since 1990, the two sides have maintained the exchange of visits between high-ranking State, Government and legislature delegations, as well as those of ministries, agencies and businesses, and cultural exchanges.

The relationship entered into a new period with the visit to Vietnam by President Suharto in November 1990, the first by an Indonesian President in 31 years, also the first by a head of State in Southeast Asia and the South Pacific to Vietnam since 1975, except from Laos and Cambodia.

On the occasion of the visit to Vietnam by Indonesian President Megawati in June 2003, the two countries signed a joint statement on the framework for friendly, comprehensive cooperation in the 21st century, and an agreement on the demarcation of the boundaries of the continental shelf.

The two sides issued a joint statement on strengthening the relationship, towards a strategic partnership on the occasion of the official visit to Indonesia by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung in September 2011.

The establishment of the strategic partnership in June 2013 on the occasion of the State visit to Indonesia by President Truong Tan Sang has been seen as a milestone in the bilateral diplomatic ties. Since then, the strategic partnership has been growing comprehensively and firmly.

The first official visit to Indonesia by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong in August 2017 opened up a new page for the relationship, making it more intensive and comprehensive.

President Joko Widodo visited Vietnam for the first time in September 2017 as part of his trip to the country for the World Economic Forum on ASEAN, helping deepen the strategic partnership.

Over the past years, despite impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the two countries have still maintained exchanges and contacts at all levels, with the latest meeting between Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and President Widodo on the sidelines of the 42nd ASEAN Summit and related meetings in Indonesia last May.

The two countries completed negotiations on the demarcation of their Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) boundaries in December 2022, which, as Indonesian Ambassador to Vietnam Denny Abdi said, proves that countries can address disputes by peaceful measures in line with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

The completion of the procedures related to this agreement has helped the two countries expand cooperation in aquatic product processing, aquaculture and fisheries, among other fields, contributing to ensuring food security in the region, the diplomat noted.

The two countries have also signed many cooperation agreements in various spheres, while stepping up cooperation between localities, with four pairs of sister cities and provinces, namely Jakarta-Hanoi, Ba Ria-Vung Tau - Padang, Hue-Yogyakarta, and Soc Trang-Lampung.

At the same time, they have maintained close coordination and shared viewpoints on many issues of strategic importance at international forums.

According to former Indonesian Ambassador to Vietnam Ibnu Hadi, the two-way trade has been growing impressively.

Indonesia is Vietnam’s third largest trade partner in Southeast Asia, while Vietnam ranks fourth from the Indonesian side, with bilateral trade revenue reaching US$14.1 billion last year, and US$6.73 billion in the first half of this year. The figure is expected to rise to US$15 billion in 2028.

Vietnam mainly exports computers, electronic products, various types of iron and steel, textile-garment products, plastics, and mobile phones and components to Indonesia, while importing coal, vegetable oil, automobile, and  iron and steel from the country.        
  
As of June 20, 2022, Indonesia poured US$645.8 million in 113 projects in Vietnam, focusing on processing, manufacturing, and lodging and catering services.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Indonesia Ta Van Thong suggested the two countries optimise new opportunities and tighten their cooperation to turn challenges into opportunities, and competition pressure into momentum to grow further, while working to complete the legal framework for their collaboration.

The two countries should consider collaboration in fisheries and aquaculture in which both have potential, especially following the signing of the agreement on EEZ demarcation in 2022, and cooperation in technology transformation, Hadi said.

Cooperation in other fields like education, culture, agriculture, energy, and justice has also been consolidated through specific, result-oriented agreements, and memoranda of understanding.

Regarding legislative ties, the Vietnamese NA and the Indonesian House of Representatives reached a cooperation agreement in March 2010.

At a reception for Ambassador Abdi on June 29, 2023, Chairman of the NA Committee for External Relations Vu Hai Ha affirmed that the Vietnamese legislature wishes for more intensive, practical strategic partnership between the two countries through cooperation with Indonesian legislative agencies.

Ha said the Vietnamese NA wishes to enhance the exchange of information and experience with the Indonesian parliament in law building and supervision.

For his part, Abdi suggested the two legislatures step up all-level delegation exchanges to tighten their cooperation, contributing to deepening the relationship between the two countries in a practical and effective manner.