The meeting was part of the State visit to Indonesia and the official visit to the ASEAN Secretariat by Party General Secretary To Lam, his spouse, and a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation

General Phan Van Giang showed great joy at the comprehensive, trustworthy, and substantive development of Vietnam-Indonesia relations since the two countries established diplomatic ties 70 years ago. He congratulated Indonesia on its remarkable socio-economic achievements and its increasing role and status in both regional and global arenas. He also expressed confidence that Indonesia will continue to prosper, enhance its global position, and successfully realise the 'Indonesia Vision 2045'. Furthermore, he praised Indonesia’s foreign policy and its contributions to reinforcing ASEAN’s centrality and solidarity.

The Vietnamese Defence Minister affirmed support for Indonesia’s initiatives within the framework of the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting (ADMM) and the ADMM-Plus, particularly the Concept Paper on ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific from a defence perspective. He also voiced support for Indonesia’s role as co-chair of the ADMM-Plus Experts' Working Group on Military Medicine alongside the US for the 2024-2027 cycle.

During the meeting, General Phan Van Giang expressed satisfaction with the progress of bilateral defence cooperation across multiple fields. He commended Indonesia for sending naval and coast guard vessels to visit Vietnam in 2024, appreciated Indonesia's support for Vietnam’s initiative to establish the ASEAN Intelligence Community, and thanked Indonesia for sending a delegation to the celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the Vietnam People's Army, the 35th anniversary of the All-People’s National Defence Festival, and the second Vietnam International Defence Expo.

For his part, Indonesian Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin expressed delight at meeting with General Phan Van Giang and hailed the development of Vietnam-Indonesia defence cooperation. He thanked Vietnam for deploying naval vessels to participate in the 2025 Komodo Multilateral Naval Exercise in Indonesia, which contributed to the overall success of the event. He also suggested that the two defence ministries explore expanding cooperation in potential areas.

Both sides expressed their desire to implement concrete and substantive cooperation activities within the framework of the newly established Vietnam-Indonesia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Key areas of focus include delegation exchanges at all levels, maintaining the effectiveness of the Defence Policy Dialogue mechanism, information sharing, enhanced cooperation between military services and branches, coordination between maritime law enforcement forces, personnel training, and defence industry collaboration.

Additionally, Giang said he hopes that the maritime law enforcement forces of both countries will step up cooperation, share information, and coordinate effectively in dealing with emerging maritime issues. He also called for continued collaboration in the humane treatment of fishermen from both countries who inadvertently violate each other's waters.

He urged the two navies to finalise negotiations and sign an agreement on joint patrols and the establishment of a communication channel. Furthermore, he requested Indonesia’s support for Vietnam’s efforts to have the European Commission’s “yellow card” warning for Vietnam's seafood exports lifted.

On this occasion, General Phan Van Giang extended an invitation to Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin to pay an official visit to Vietnam. He also affirmed that the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence supports and will send a delegation to attend the Indonesia Defence Exhibition in June 2025.

Vietnam, Indonesia reaffirm commitment to stronger strategic partnership

VOV.VN - Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son and Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono held a phone conversation on February 10, during which they reaffirmed their commitment to deepening bilateral ties and stepping up cooperation across multiple fields.