Indonesian President-elect’s Viet Nam visit-testament to close bilateral ties in various issues

In a recent interview with the VGP, Denny Abdi said, during the visit to Viet Nam, the Indonesian President-elect was warmly welcomed by Vietnamese leaders including Secretary General of the Communist Party of Viet Nam and President To Lam, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, and President of the National Assembly Tran Thanh Man.

"This signifies the close friendship and relations between Indonesia and Viet Nam which has been nurtured even before our respective independences in 1945", he stated.

In January 2024, President Joko Widodo paid a State visit to Viet Nam to review the outstanding bilateral relations, which exceeded the target by 38 percent.

The President-elect's visit reaffirms the commitments made during President Joko Widodo's visit to strengthen various areas of cooperation in supporting both sides' shared visions and interests for the people of the two countries, the region, and beyond, shared the diplomat.

This includes in promoting cooperation between the two nations, advocating for peace, stability and prosperity in the region and beyond, as well in strengthening contributions to the international community, the Ambassador added.

"As Indonesia and Viet Nam have new leaders in 2024, I believe that the new leaderships will invigorate cooperation and inject a new energy for Indonesia-Viet Nam relations as we strive towards our shared visions to become high-income economies by 2045", told Denny Abdi.

Viet Nam, Indonesia work towards comprehensive strategic partnership

Regarding key priorities of Viet Nam-Indonesia relations, the Ambassador said, the Indonesian President-elect and Vietnamese leaders agreed to promote cooperation in various sectors.

In security and defence, the two sides reaffirmed the commitments of both countries to strengthen collaboration in combatting transnational crime and illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

On regional affairs, Indonesia and Viet Nam committed to promoting ASEAN unity and centrality, as well as affirmed the importance of maintaining peace, stability, and security in the East Sea by upholding international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS 1982). A peaceful and stable region is the foundation for development as well as a strong and sustainable economy.

The visit also discussed commitments to elevate bilateral relations to new heights, including achieving the target of US$18 billion bilateral trade by 2028. To reach this, the two sides agreed to continue encouraging collaboration in sectors of priority.

Besides, Indonesia and Viet Nam will work together to promote cooperation in food security. As top producers in rice and fisheries, the enhancement of cooperation in this sector will have a great impact on the increase of income for the farmers and fishermen in both nations as well as strengthen regional food security.

In renewable energy, both countries will continue to promote collaboration to achieve each side's net-zero emission target, he said, adding this is especially important for both sides to share experiences and best practices on the implementation of the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP).

In digital economy and high-tech industries, Indonesia and Viet Nam will strengthen collaboration and complement each other's efforts, for example in fostering the development of a regional electric vehicle ecosystem.

Referring to prospects for Viet Nam–Indonesia economic relations, the Ambassador said, the year 2025 will be an important year for both countries as Viet Nam and Indonesia will celebrate 70 years of diplomatic ties and the 80th anniversary of Viet Nam's National Day and Indonesia's Independence Day.

"The 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations is already a milestone on itself, but we believe this is also a great momentum to mark the elevation of our strategic partnership established in 2013 into a comprehensive strategic partnership", shared the diplomat.

By such elevation, Denny Abdi expected that Viet Nam and Indonesia can promote existing strong cooperation in sectors such as agriculture, fisheries, trade, and investment, whilst exploring and expanding new opportunities.

Some new sectors that can be strengthened further include human development, tourism, semiconductor, electric vehicles, and research-based industries. The two countries can continue to work closely together to promote economic cooperation, develop high value-added products, and establish a regional production base, emphasized the Ambassador./.