Elevating Vietnam-Indonesia relations to a Strategic Partnership.
President Truong Tan Sang of Vietnam and Indonesian President Bambang Yudhoyono officially announced the upgrading of bilateral relations.
At the invitation of Indonesian President Bambang Yudhoyono, on the afternoon of June 27, President Truong Tan Sang and his wife, along with a high-level delegation from Vietnam, arrived in Jakarta to begin a two-day state visit to Indonesia (June 27 and 28).
The official welcoming ceremony for President Truong Tan Sang was held solemnly according to the highest protocol reserved for heads of state.
The official welcoming ceremony for the President was held solemnly according to the highest protocol reserved for heads of state.
At exactly 4:15 PM, President Truong Tan Sang's motorcade arrived at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta. Indonesian President Bambang Yudhoyono welcomed the Vietnamese President with great warmth and solemnity, with the highest protocol reserved for heads of state.
President Bambang Yudhoyono invited President Truong Tan Sang to step onto the honorary platform. The military band played the national anthems of Vietnam and Indonesia, accompanied by a 21-gun salute to welcome the visit of our President.
Following that, at the Presidential Palace, President Truong Tan Sang and his wife met with President Bambang Yudhoyono and his wife before the two leaders held talks.
President Bambang Yudhoyono warmly welcomed President Truong Tan Sang and the high-level delegation of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to Indonesia; highly appreciated the significance of Vietnam's first state visit to Indonesia since 2001; and believed that the positive results of the visit would contribute to further consolidating and strengthening the existing good traditional friendship and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries.
President Truong Tan Sang expressed his pleasure at making his first official visit to Indonesia; and thanked President Bambang Yudhoyono and the Indonesian people for the warm welcome and fraternal friendship extended to the delegation.
During the talks, the two leaders informed each other about the political, economic, and foreign affairs situations of their respective countries. President Bambang Yudhoyono congratulated Vietnam on overcoming many difficulties and challenges in the context of a volatile global economy, continuing to maintain macroeconomic stability, control inflation, and ensure social welfare.
President Truong Tan Sang highly appreciated Indonesia's continued high economic growth rate and its commitment to sustainable development; he expressed confidence that Indonesia would successfully implement its "Master Plan for Economic Acceleration and Expansion 2011-2025" and further enhance its important role and position in ASEAN as well as in other multilateral forums, including the G20 and the United Nations.
The two leaders agreed that the traditional friendship and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries have continuously developed over the past nearly 60 years and achieved many important accomplishments in various fields. On this basis, the two leaders officially announced the upgrading of Vietnam-Indonesia relations to a Strategic Partnership, aiming to elevate bilateral relations to a new level, for the benefit of the people of each country, and for peace, stability, cooperation, and prosperous development in the region and the world.
President Truong Tan Sang and President Bambang Yudhoyono (Photo: VNA)
Politically, the two leaders agreed to further strengthen the traditional friendly and trusting relationship on the basis of regular exchanges of delegations and contacts at high levels and other levels; to continue effectively implementing existing cooperation mechanisms, including the Ministerial-level Bilateral Cooperation Committee and the Joint Committee on Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation; to accelerate the implementation of the “Action Program for the period 2012-2015” according to schedule, while supplementing this Action Program to align with the newly established Strategic Partnership.
Indonesia agreed to promptly establish an Indonesia-Vietnam Friendship Association to closely coordinate with the Vietnam-Indonesia Friendship Association in order to further strengthen people-to-people exchanges in the new context, especially in educating the younger generation of both countries about the tradition of friendship between the two nations.
Striving to increase bilateral trade volume.
Regarding economic, trade, and investment cooperation, the two leaders agreed that bilateral trade turnover has grown well in recent years, moving towards a more balanced direction, and strived to bring bilateral trade turnover to over US$5 billion before 2015 and reach US$10 billion by 2018. Both sides acknowledged that bilateral investment remains modest and does not yet reflect the potential and the strategic partnership between the two countries; the two leaders proposed that relevant ministries and agencies of both countries study and promote investment promotion measures; and affirmed their commitment to facilitating investment by businesses from each country in the other.
The two leaders also noted that other potential areas such as energy, agriculture, fisheries, education and training are experiencing positive developments; agreed to strengthen cooperation on food security, implement oil and gas cooperation projects, and cooperate in coal trading and mining; enhance the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding on Fisheries and Maritime Issues (2010) to exploit the enormous potential for cooperation in this field, as well as closely coordinate in resolving issues related to fishermen and vessels encroaching on each other's waters in a humane and friendly spirit; and supported the proposal of a temporary solution while continuing discussions on the Agreement on the Delimitation of the Exclusive Economic Zone.
Regarding defense and security cooperation, the two leaders acknowledged the positive developments in the implementation of the Agreement on Cooperation in Combating Crime (2005) and the Memorandum of Understanding on Enhancing Cooperation between Defense Officials and Related Activities (2010); agreed to expedite negotiations and the early signing of a Regulation on coordinated patrols between the navies of the two countries in the adjacent sea area and to quickly implement it in the field, contributing to maintaining stability and security at sea; and to study the establishment of appropriate mechanisms for Policy Dialogue on security and defense.
Both sides also affirmed the importance of strengthening cooperation in the fields of defense industry, counter-terrorism, and addressing non-traditional security challenges.
Peaceful resolution of disputes in the South China Sea
Discussing international and regional issues, the two leaders affirmed their commitment to further strengthening consultations and closely coordinating positions between the two countries in regional and international forums, especially within ASEAN and the United Nations; and agreed to cooperate with other ASEAN member states to strive to achieve the goal of building the Community by 2015. Vietnam affirmed its continued support for Indonesia in its role as APEC Chair in 2013; and expressed gratitude and hope for Indonesia's continued support for Vietnam's hosting of APEC 2017.
Regarding the South China Sea, the two leaders reaffirmed the importance of peace, stability, safety, security, and freedom of navigation in the South China Sea; resolving disputes peacefully, exercising restraint, and refraining from the use or threat of force; respecting international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS); fully implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) and expeditiously completing the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC). Both sides also expressed support for ASEAN's six-point statement on the South China Sea issue and welcomed the Joint Statement of the 15th ASEAN-China Summit commemorating the 10th anniversary of the DOC, as well as the concrete steps for the subsequent implementation of these statements.
At the conclusion of the talks, the two leaders witnessed the signing of the Agreement on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters, the Agreement on Extradition, and the Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in Agricultural Products between the two countries.
On this occasion, the two sides will also sign Memoranda of Understanding on Financial Cooperation and Memoranda of Understanding on Energy and Mineral Resources Cooperation.
Following that, President Truong Tan Sang and Indonesian President Bambang Yudhoyono co-chaired a press conference to announce some of the results of their talks.
Indonesian President Bambang Yudhoyono expressed his delight at seeing the relationship between the two countries enter a new phase: “The results of the talks, which achieved a series of agreements and discussions, have created an important foundation for promoting bilateral relations in the future, especially the upgrading of relations between the two countries to a Strategic Partnership, contributing to the benefits of both peoples and countries, as well as peace and cooperation in the region and the world.”
President Truong Tan Sang highly appreciated the increasingly positive development of the friendly relations between the two countries. Based on comprehensive cooperation in the past, the two sides decided to upgrade the traditional friendship and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Indonesia to a Strategic Partnership.
President Truong Tan Sang emphasized: “Upgrading relations will create new momentum to deepen, enhance, and sustain cooperation between the two countries; making a positive contribution to the goal of building the ASEAN community by 2015, as well as to peace, stability, cooperation, and development in the Asia-Pacific and the world.”
This evening, Indonesian President Bambang Yudhoyono hosted a grand reception for Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang and the high-level Vietnamese State delegation on the occasion of their State visit to Indonesia.
According to (vov.vn) - LT
