Chairman of the People’s Committee of Khanh Hoa province Nguyen Tan Tuan speaks at the conference. — VNA/VNS Photo

KHÁNH HÒA - Chairman of the People’s Committee of Khanh Hoa province Nguyen Tan Tuan on March 21 said the south-central locality wants to cooperate with Indonesian localities, ministries and agencies in the areas of their strengths.

Speaking at the “Meet Khanh Hoa-Indonesia” event, jointly held in Nha Trang city by the provincial People’s Committee, the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Indonesian Embassy in Vietnam, the official stressed that Indonesia is Vietnam’s third largest trade partner in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), while Vietnam is the fourth biggest of Indonesia in the grouping.

Indonesia was also the first Southeast Asian nation to establish diplomatic ties with Vietnam in 1955, he continued.

Tuan briefed the participants on Khanh Hoa’s potential, strengths and development orientations in aquaculture, high-tech agriculture, tourism and trade, and suggested the two sides step up exchanges and promote their close ties, contributing to strengthening the Vietnam-Indonesia relationship.

Adhy Karyono - Acting Governor of East Java province speaks at the conference.

In his remarks, Ambassador Denny Abdi emphasised that the friendship between the two countries has been growing across spheres, with bilateral trade reaching 13.8 billion USD last year.

To deepen the cooperation, Vietnamese and Indonesian investors should look towards such areas as digital economy and tourism, and enhancing collaboration in agriculture and aquaculture, he suggested.

Indonesia’s Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Sakti Wahyu Trenggono noted that the Indonesian Government commits, encourages and creates optimal conditions for foreign investors to operate in maritime and fishery areas.

At the conference, the two sides looked into their potential, strengths and cooperation ability, with priority given to processing-manufacturing, energy, tourism, and high-tech agriculture.

Following the event, Indonesian delegates visited Australis Aquaculture, LLC, Van Ninh KN solar farm, a tourism-agriculture cooperative and some tourist sites in Khanh Hoa. — VNS