Further strengthening the Strategic Partnership between Vietnam and Indonesia

On April 24, at the Government Guest House, Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son and Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi co-chaired the 5th Meeting of the Vietnam - Indonesia Joint Cooperation Committee (JCBC-5).

Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son with Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi. Photo: VNA

Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son highly appreciated the important significance of Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi's visit to Vietnam and co-chairing of JCBC-5.

The visit aims to promote the implementation of high-level agreements, especially after the Indonesian President's State visit to Vietnam in January 2024 and in the context of the two sides preparing to celebrate the 70th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations in 2025.

Minister Bui Thanh Son thanked Minister Retno Marsudi for actively supporting, participating in and contributing to the success of the "ASEAN Future Forum" (AFF) held in Hanoi on April 23, 2024; congratulated Indonesia on successfully organizing the general election earlier this year and believed that Indonesia would continue to develop prosperously, have an increasingly high position in the international arena and become a developed country by 2045 on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the country's founding.

Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi expressed her pleasure to visit Vietnam again; congratulated Vietnam on its achievements in all aspects of development in recent times; and affirmed that Indonesia always attaches importance to and wishes to further strengthen the strategic partnership with Vietnam.

The Minister also highly appreciated Vietnam for successfully organizing the ASEAN Future Forum, making an important contribution to promoting the building of a strong and self-reliant ASEAN Community, promoting its central and pioneering role in responding to regional challenges.

The two Ministers agreed that the bilateral cooperation is increasingly developing deeply and effectively, bringing practical benefits to the people of the two countries and actively contributing to peace , stability and development in the region.

On that basis, the two ministers agreed to continue promoting exchanges and contacts at high and all levels, effectively promoting existing cooperation mechanisms, promptly completing the Action Program for the 2024-2028 period, contributing to increasing political trust and deepening and more substantive cooperation between the two countries in all fields, towards bringing the bilateral relationship to a new height.

The two ministers were pleased to note that Vietnam-Indonesia economic and trade cooperation has grown remarkably in recent years. Indonesia is Vietnam's third largest trading partner and Vietnam is Indonesia's fourth largest trading partner in ASEAN. Two-way trade in 2023 is expected to reach 14 billion USD; in the first quarter of 2024 alone, it will reach 3.6 billion USD, an increase of 20% over the same period last year.

Aiming to bring bilateral trade turnover to 18 billion USD by 2028 in a more balanced direction, the two sides encourage the early organization of a meeting of the Joint Committee on Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation to discuss measures to remove difficulties, take advantage of cooperation potential between the two countries; organize trade promotion activities, connect trade, and support businesses to access each other's markets.

Minister Retno Marsudi affirmed that Indonesian businesses are increasingly interested in expanding their investment in Vietnam. Minister Bui Thanh Son suggested that both sides create favorable conditions for businesses of both countries to expand and diversify their investment, especially in new and potential fields such as green economy, circular economy, renewable energy, semiconductor industry, digital economy, electric vehicles and Halal cooperation.

The two sides agreed to strengthen defense and security cooperation, coordinate in preventing and combating cross-border crimes, including cybercrime, high-tech crime, and human trafficking; encourage the promotion of aviation connectivity, and enhance cooperation in the fields of agriculture, fisheries, education, tourism, and people-to-people exchange.

The two ministers discussed regional and international issues of mutual concern, including the East Sea and Myanmar; and pledged to continue coordinating and supporting each other at multilateral and regional organizations and forums, including the United Nations, ASEAN, and sub-regional cooperation.

The two sides agreed to coordinate to maintain solidarity and ASEAN's agreed principles on the East Sea issue to ensure peace, stability and prosperity in the region, on the basis of international law including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), promote the full and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), actively promote and soon reach a substantive, effective Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC), in accordance with international law and the 1982 UNCLOS.

At the end of the meeting, the two foreign ministers signed the Minutes of the 5th meeting of the Vietnam - Indonesia Bilateral Cooperation Committee and agreed that the 6th meeting will be held in Indonesia in 2026.

According to VNA/Vietnam+

Source