Top legislator of Việt Nam meets with Indonesian President

NA Chairman Vương Đình Huệ (R) and Indonesian President Joko Widodo in Hà Nội on January 12. VNA Photo

HÀ NỘI – National Assembly (NA) Chairman Vương Đình Huệ met with Indonesian President Joko Widodo, who is paying a three-day state visit to Việt Nam, in Hà Nội on January 12.

The host leader welcomed President Widodo on the latter’s second visit to Việt Nam, which holds great significance after the two countries celebrated the 10th founding anniversary of their strategic partnership in 2023.

Việt Nam has always treasured and exerted efforts to work with Indonesia to promote the strategic partnership in a more practical and extensive manner so as to meet their people’s aspirations and interests as well as the two countries’ sound friendship and cooperation, founded by Presidents Hồ Chí Minh and Sukarno and nurtured by generations of leaders, Chairman Huệ stated.

President Widodo emphasised that the two countries’ strategic partnership had harvested concrete cooperation results, adding it is now time for Việt Nam and Indonesia to strengthen bilateral connections, including in digitalisation and high technology, to obtain common achievements.

He highly valued the parliaments’ role in enhancing the strategic partnership, particularly in making laws and policies to accelerate energy transition, digital transformation, and innovation.

Echoing his guest’s view, the top legislator of Việt Nam expressed his hope that the two countries would elevate the bilateral relations to a new level at an appropriate point of time.

Chairman Huệ held that the increase of mutual visits at all levels and via all channels, the improvement of the existing cooperation mechanisms’ effectiveness, and the expansion of cooperation between the two countries’ localities and friendship associations would help foster people-to-people ties. He also called on both sides to enhance collaboration in the Halal industry, rice trading, and investment and business partnerships.

President Widodo said the two sides should actively cooperate with each other to devise concrete policies and measures to raise bilateral trade to US$15 billion by 2028.

At the meeting, the NA Chairman affirmed that Việt Nam would continue creating the optimal conditions for foreign investors, including Indonesian ones. He asked Indonesia to provide favourable conditions and legal procedures for a joint venture between the two countries to become operational soon in the archipelago nation to help build an electric vehicle and battery ecosystem.

He also stressed the need for the two sides to carry out the existing mechanisms on maritime cooperation, reinforce ties in maritime affairs and sustainable fishing, and work together to settle fishermen and fishing boat-related issues in a goodwill and humanitarian manner in line with the strategic partnership.

Việt Nam and Indonesia should coordinate more closely via the government and parliamentary channels to help enhance the solidarity, unanimity, and centrality of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), bring into play the role of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA), and maintain peace and stability in the region, the top legislator said.

The two nations also needed to cooperate in accordance with ASEAN’s viewpoint on the East Sea (known internationally as the South China Sea), promote the implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), and coordinate in the negotiations on an efficient and effective Code of Conduct (COC) that matches international law and the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), he added.

President Widodo spoke highly of the close cooperation between the Vietnamese NA and the House of Representatives of Indonesia, welcoming the two legislative bodies’ signing of a cooperation agreement in August 2023. He also affirmed support for stronger ties, experience sharing, and exchanges, including visits by high-ranking delegations.

Chairman Huệ suggested the two countries support each other at regional and international forums, especially ASEAN, AIPA, ASEAN-led mechanisms, the UN, and the Non-Aligned Movement, on international and regional security and strategic issues.

Meanwhile, the Indonesian President voiced his support for Việt Nam’s initiative to host the ASEAN Future Forum on fast, sustainable, and people-centred development, and affirmed that Indonesia would send senior representatives to the event. VNA/VNS