The General Secretary's historic visit and Vietnam-Indonesia relations

“This visit has a lot of historical significance because this is the first time the General Secretary has officially visited Indonesia since the two countries established a strategic partnership,” said Dr. Tran Viet Thai.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong will pay an official visit to Indonesia from August 22 to 24 and a state visit to Myanmar from August 24 to 26. The visit aims to define a framework for relations that represents a new milestone, new height, and new momentum for the bilateral relationship in all areas.

It has been nearly 6 decades since the establishment of diplomatic relations, since President Ho Chi Minh and President Sukarno built the solidarity and friendship between the two nations, through many historical ups and downs, the Vietnam-Indonesia relationship is increasingly developing strongly and importantly. The relationship between Vietnam and Indonesia is not only a bilateral relationship but also a multilateral relationship within the framework of ASEAN countries. On the other hand, the relationship between Vietnam and Myanmar is also in the process of development and has more and more practical significance.

Both Indonesia and Myanmar are two important partners of Vietnam in the Southeast Asian region. Therefore, the visit of the General Secretary and senior leaders this time not only strengthens the foundation of bilateral relations but also promotes the expansion of cooperation based on other mechanisms and frameworks of multilateral cooperation.

This visit has many historical meanings because this is the first time the General Secretary has officially visited Indonesia since the two countries established a strategic partnership. Another meaning that the visit brings is that it promises to open up the future of developing relations between Vietnam and Indonesia as well as with Myanmar in the new era.

Since Myanmar opened up to reform, completed the process of democratization and institutional transformation, this is the right time to promote the relationship between the two countries in a deeper way. By the end of 2016, bilateral trade turnover between Vietnam and Myanmar was estimated at 536 million USD, exceeding the target of 500 million USD set by the two countries' senior leaders.

By the end of February 2017, Vietnamese enterprises had invested over 2 billion USD in projects in Myanmar, many Vietnamese product and service brands were present in Myanmar and were highly appreciated by consumers for their quality and competitive prices. This trip contributed to promoting the cooperation framework, further consolidating the legal foundation, and political stability in the relationship between the two countries to further facilitate the flow of trade and investment between the two sides.

Unfortunately, in recent years, especially after the Vietnamese Government adopted a policy to support offshore fishermen, the number of Vietnamese vessels and fishermen going offshore to fish has increased, leading to many new conflicts at sea. Currently, there is no clear delimitation of overlapping continental shelves between Vietnam and Indonesia. The two sides also do not have comprehensive mechanisms to handle this issue.

The Indonesian Vice President affirmed in a meeting with Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue in the capital Jakarta on July 21 that he will direct relevant agencies to coordinate with Vietnam on the issue of fishermen and vessels and take note of Vietnam's proposal to extend the Agreement on Notification and Consular Assistance and the Memorandum of Understanding on Maritime and Fisheries Cooperation signed in 2010. It is hoped that through the General Secretary's trip, a comprehensive solution that benefits both sides in resolving disputes at sea will be promoted.

According to Vietnamnet.vn