The first meeting of the Vietnam - Indonesia Bilateral Cooperation Committee

At the meeting, the two sides reviewed and evaluated the results of the implementation of the Vietnam - Indonesia Action Program for the period 2012-2015...

Implementing the agreement between the two governments stated in the Vietnam - Indonesia Action Program for the period 2012-2015; the first meeting of the Vietnam - Indonesia Bilateral Cooperation Committee took place in Hanoi on July 25, co-chaired by Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh and Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa. Previously, on July 24, a Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) at the Deputy Foreign Minister level took place.

Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh and Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa (Photo AFP)

At the meeting, the two sides reviewed and evaluated the results of the implementation of the Vietnam-Indonesia Action Program for the period 2012-2015; especially in the fields of politics, security-defense, economy-trade-investment. At the same time, they proposed orientations to consolidate and elevate the cooperative relationship between the two countries to a new level, towards a strategic partnership in the coming time.

The two Ministers expressed their satisfaction with the positive developments in the traditional friendship and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Indonesia in recent times; highly appreciated the results of the official visit to Indonesia by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung in September 2011 and the State visit to Vietnam by Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in October 2010. At the same time, they agreed to increase the exchange of high-level visits and contacts between the leaders of the two countries as well as visits between ministries/sectors and people-to-people exchanges.

The two Ministers highly appreciated cooperation in the field of security and defense since the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on Defense Cooperation (2010); agreed to propose promoting the completion of discussions on the "Agreement on Joint Patrol Regulations in Adjacent Seas and the establishment of a communication channel between the two navies".

The two Ministers agreed to strengthen trade and investment promotion activities to continue to consolidate the growing trade cooperation and further promote two-way investment, expected to reach the target of 5 billion USD in two-way trade before the 2015 deadline. The two sides agreed to further strengthen cooperation in the maritime sector, fisheries, agriculture, food security, and judicial cooperation.

The two Ministers also said that although cooperation in the fields of education, training, culture, sports and tourism has improved, both sides need to pay more attention to promoting it to match the good political relations and at the same time contribute to enhancing people-to-people exchange.

The two Ministers also spent time discussing cooperation between the two countries at regional and international forums, especially within the framework of ASEAN cooperation, as well as regional issues of mutual concern, including the East Sea; Emphasizing the need to ensure peace, stability, security, and maritime safety in the East Sea, respect for international law and the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, ensuring full implementation of the DOC, and soon moving towards the COC.

Minister Pham Binh Minh highly appreciated Indonesia's efforts and the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' issuance of the 6-point Joint Statement on the East Sea issue on July 20, 2012.

At the end of the meeting, Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh and Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa signed the Minutes of the meeting. The two sides agreed to hold the second meeting of the Bilateral Cooperation Committee at the Foreign Ministers level in Indonesia in 2014.

Informing the press right after the end of the meeting, Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh expressed his belief that the agreements reached at the meeting will be actively implemented in the coming time, contributing to bringing the traditional friendship and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Indonesia to a new level, in the direction of strategic partnership, meeting the expectations of the Governments and people of the two countries.

The Indonesian Foreign Minister agreed that the bilateral relationship is growing stronger and stronger; expressed his desire to cooperate closely to promote the development of bilateral relations, reflecting the strategic nature of this relationship; welcomed and attached great importance to the State visit to Indonesia by General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.

The Indonesian Foreign Minister highly appreciated Vietnam's role in the ASEAN Chairmanship Year 2010, marking an important development step in the process of building the ASEAN Community; emphasizing that Vietnam and Indonesia are always countries that support and represent peace and prosperity in the region and the ASEAN Community in 2015; always believing that Vietnam is a very reliable partner in resolving common regional issues, including the East Sea issue, as well as in strengthening ASEAN's central role in a regional structure that is taking shape./.

According to (VOV) - LT