President Vo Van Thuong presided over the official welcoming ceremony for the President of Indonesia.

This is the second time President Joko Widodo has made a state visit to Vietnam, after his visit in September 2018.

At the invitation ofPresident Vo Van Thuong, President of the Republic of Indonesia Joko Widodo paid a State visit to Vietnam from January 11 to 13.

This morning, January 12, at the Presidential Palace, President Vo Van Thuong presided over the official welcoming ceremony for President Joko Widodo. At the welcoming ceremony, a 21-gun salute was fired to welcome President Joko Widodo and the high-ranking Indonesian delegation. Immediately after the official welcoming ceremony, President Vo Van Thuong and President Joko Widodo held talks.

Scene of the welcoming ceremony at the Presidential Palace on the morning of January 12. Photo: QUANG PHUC

President Vo Van Thuong and President Joko Widodo inspect the Vietnam People's Army honor guard at the welcoming ceremony. Photo: QUANG PHUC

Previously, President Joko Widodo and the high-ranking Indonesian delegation visited and laid flowers at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum; and laid flowers at the Monument to Heroes and Martyrs on Bac Son Street ( Hanoi ).

Hanoi children at the official welcoming ceremony at the Presidential Palace on the morning of January 12. Photo: QUANG PHUC

Hanoi children wave flags at the welcoming ceremony. Photo: QUANG PHUC

Welcome ceremony scene. Photo: QUANG PHUC

After the talks, the two leaders will witness the signing of cooperation documents between the two sides and meet with the press. According to the program, during this State visit to Vietnam, President Joko Widodo will have meetings with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue; and together with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, will meet with a number of typical Vietnamese and Indonesian enterprises.

President Vo Van Thuong and President Joko Widodo at the Presidential Palace on the morning of January 12. Photo: QUANG PHUC

This is the second time that President Joko Widodo has made a State visit to Vietnam, after his visit in September 2018. The visit contributes to further strengthening the traditional friendship between Vietnam and Indonesia that has been nurtured for nearly 70 years. The two countries established relations in 1955 and established a Strategic Partnership in 2013.

President Vo Van Thuong and President Joko Widodo before their talks. Photo: QUANG PHUC

Speaking to the press ahead of the visit, Vietnamese Ambassador to Indonesia Ta Van Thong said that the traditional friendship and trust have always been a solid foundation for the Vietnam - Indonesia Strategic Partnership to move towards the future, becoming increasingly in-depth, substantive and effective in all areas of cooperation. The two countries still have a lot of potential to continue to exploit, and have many strengths that can complement each other. On the other hand, the two countries are also active members of ASEAN, with a certain role and position in the region and to some extent in the international arena. Therefore, the close and profound cooperation between Vietnam and Indonesia not only practically serves the interests of the people of the two countries but also contributes to peace, stability and prosperity in the region as well as the world.

Scene of the talks at the Presidential Palace on the morning of January 12. Photo: QUANG PHUC

Ambassador Ta Van Thong said that in addition to the excellent political relations that have always been maintained and nurtured on the basis of a time-tested tradition of friendship, in recent years, especially after the two countries entered the recovery phase after Covid-19, economic and trade relations between the two countries have achieved impressive growth, continuously surpassing new milestones and moving towards a more balanced direction. Indonesia became the third largest export market and the second largest import market of Vietnam in ASEAN in 2023. Bilateral trade turnover increased from 8.2 billion USD in 2020 to 14.17 billion USD in 2022.

President Vo Van Thuong speaks at the talks. Photo: QUANG PHUC

President Joko Widodo speaks at the talks. Photo: QUANG PHUC

In addition, the investment sector has also seen many improvements. By the end of November 2023, Indonesia's total investment capital in Vietnam reached 651.21 million USD, with 120 valid projects (an increase of 2 projects with an additional capital of 4.71 million USD in 2023) and ranked 29th out of 143 countries and territories with investment capital in Vietnam. Many Indonesian corporations and companies are successfully investing and doing business in Vietnam such as: Ciputra, Traveloka, Gojek, PT Vietmindo Energitama, Jafpa Comfeed Vietnam, Semen Indonesia Group...

On the other hand, a number of large Vietnamese enterprises and corporations have been present in Indonesia such as: FPT, Dien May Xanh... Many other enterprises are also completing investment procedures in Indonesia such as: Taxi Xanh (Vingroup), Viet Thai Group, Thai Binh Shoes, Thuan Hai Joint Stock Company... Most notable is the project of Vinfast Global with a total expected investment capital of 1.2 billion USD to build an electric vehicle factory in Indonesia with a scale of 50,000 vehicles per year, which will break ground in the first quarter of 2024 and be completed in 2026.

Ambassador Ta Van Thong affirmed that in the context of the challenging and unpredictable global economy in 2023, the fact that both Vietnam and Indonesia have maintained impressive growth rates and strongly developed bilateral economic relations is of great significance not only for each country but also contributes to enhancing the economic resilience of ASEAN in general to stand firm against fluctuations and unfavorable external impacts.

TRAN BINH

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