Vietnamese Ambassador to Indonesia Tạ Văn Thông. — VNA/VNS Photo

JAKARTA — The strategic partnership between Việt Nam and Indonesia has been developing strongly, comprehensively, and firmly, as the signed action programmes have contributed to deepening bilateral cooperation in all areas, from politics, diplomacy, and defence-security to economics, tourism, culture, and people-to-people exchanges, Vietnamese Ambassador to Indonesia Tạ Văn Thông has said.

In a recent interview granted to Vietnam News Agency on the threshold of Vice President Võ Thị Ánh Xuân's trip to Indonesia to attend the inauguration of President-elect Prabowo Subianto and conduct bilateral activities in the Southeast Asian nation from October 19-21 at the invitation of the Indonesian government, the diplomat said that cooperation mechanisms such as the Việt Nam-Indonesia Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) at the foreign ministerial-level and the Joint Commission on economic, scientific and technical cooperation serve as important foundations for implementing specific cooperation initiatives.

He highlighted the strong development of economic, trade and investment relations, noting that Indonesia is Việt Nam's third-largest trading partner, while Việt Nam is Indonesia's fourth-largest trading partner within ASEAN.

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the two-way trade continued to grow positively, increasing from US$9 billion in 2019 to over $14 billion in 2023. Leading Vietnamese companies and corporations such as VinFast, FPT, Điện Máy Xanh, and TH have been actively promoting investment in Indonesia, he said.

Vietnam Airlines and VietJet Air have opened numerous routes connecting Hà Nội and HCM City with Jakarta, and Bali of Indonesia, contributing to promoting two-way tourism growth, with a significant increase in the number of Indonesian visitors to Việt Nam in recent times.

Thông expressed his belief that the new Indonesian President will continue to promote the positive development of relations between the two countries, towards the important milestone of the 70th founding anniversary of diplomatic relations, and elevating the Việt Nam-Indonesia strategic partnership to a new height as agreed upon by high-ranking leaders of the two countries.

The diplomat also underlined the significance of Vice President Xuân's visit to Indonesia, stating that it serves to both enhance solidarity among ASEAN countries and reaffirm Việt Nam's consistent foreign policy which places great importance on its traditional friendship and strategic partnership with Indonesia and looks to further deepen the existing cooperative relationship between the two countries

On this occasion, the two sides will discuss activities commemorating the 70th founding anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries; promote visits of senior leaders in 2025; and propose initiatives and measures to further beef up cooperation in new areas such as green energy, high-tech agriculture, cultural exchanges, education, and tourism development, the diplomat added. — VNS