NA Chairman Vương Đình Huệ (L) and Speaker of the People’s Representative Council of Indonesia Puan Maharani pose for a photo before their talks in Jakarta on August 4. VNA Photo

JAKARTA – Regional media outlets have highlighted the significance of Vietnamese National Assembly (NA) Chairman Vương Đình Huệ’s official visit to Indonesia and attendance at the 44th General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA-44).

In its article, Indonesia's Antara news agency wrote that the visit is very important and shows that Vietnam’s foreign policy attaches importance to bilateral relations with Indonesia and wants to contribute to building a peaceful, stable, and prosperous environment in the region.

Regarding the two countries’ relations, the news agency said the Vietnamese and Indonesian people joined hands in solidarity to fight for national independence. This was the result of intelligent leadership and friendship between Vietnamese President Hồ Chí Minh and Indonesian President Sukarno.

This year, the two countries are celebrating the 10th anniversary of their strategic partnership with the hope of further enhancing cooperation in all areas ranging from diplomacy, politics, economy, and culture to people-to-people exchanges.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, people of both countries promoted a spirit of mutual love and support, and helped fight the pandemic together.

At the height of the pandemic, the most tense and difficult time, leaders of Việt Nam and Indonesia regularly maintained diplomatic channels, exchanged views to overcome difficulties, and discussed solutions to prevent the spread of the virus and disease outbreaks.

The two countries also shared the burden with other ASEAN member states to establish a cooperation mechanism to contain COVID-19 and gradually expand vaccination networks for the public. Fighting and winning against the COVID-19 pandemic, people of Việt Nam and Indonesia joined hands to rebuild the national economies, according to the article.

Antara noted that the strong economic cooperation can be seen from bilateral trade turnover in 2021 reaching US$11.5 billion, an increase of 40 per cent compared to 2020, exceeding the $10 billion target set by the two sides in the action plan to implement the strategic partnership.

To further strengthen the partnership in the future, the two sides agreed to promote the completion of the action plan for the 2024 - 2028 period as the future orientation of bilateral cooperation, aiming for the value of two-way trade to reach $15 billion by 2028.

Bilateral trade in the future is expected to continue to grow in line with the economic growth of each country.

Regarding parliamentary cooperation with other legislative bodies, Việt Nam has actively participated in multilateral forums, regional and international inter-parliamentary organisations. The Việt Nam NA and the Indonesian People's Representative Council signed a cooperation agreement in March 2010.

The Vietnamese NA wants to deepen the two countries’ strategic partnership by further promoting cooperative activities with the Indonesian legislature, such as increasing the exchange of delegations at all levels and promoting exchange and cooperation between professional committees, as well as friendly parliamentary groups.

The Vietnamese NA also wishes to promote the exchange of information and experiences with the Indonesian parliament in the legislation work, oversight of issues related to post-pandemic economic and social recovery, and global issues such as digital transformation.

Antara said that Việt Nam expressed its support and appreciation for Indonesia's role and initiatives in the ASEAN Chair throughout 2023 and Jakarta's efforts to continue to maintain peace, stability and prosperity at the regional level, especially in the Southeast Asian region and at the global level.

With regard to the East Sea (known internationally as the South China Sea) issue, Việt Nam and other ASEAN countries are promoting practical and effective negotiations on a Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea and respecting the sovereignty and interests of the parties concerned in line with international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

In a commentary posted on Asia Review, Kompasiana and Republik Merdeka, Veeramalla Anjaiah, a senior research fellow at the Centre for Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS), said NA Chairman Vương Đình Huệ’s visit clearly demonstrates the interest of Việt Nam’s leadership in its relations with Indonesia. The visit symbolises the spirit of solidarity and trust between the leaders of the two countries, who are willing to work towards deeper cooperation for the sake of the people as well as peace and stability within Southeast Asia. It will enhance cooperation between the legislative bodies of Việt Nam and Indonesia.

Since assuming the post of NA Chairman in 2021, Huệ has been trying to innovate the quality and operational efficiency of the legislature to help Việt Nam reach new heights and become a prosperous, powerful, democratic, fair, and civilised country. He and his institution have been making great efforts to renew work styles, significantly contributing to socio-economic development.

Anjaiah said Việt Nam and Indonesia established their diplomatic ties on December 30, 1955. In 2013, they elevated their ties to a strategic partnership.

Both are important member states of ASEAN and are striving to achieve high-income country status by 2045 through a shift from resource-based industries to high-tech industries as well as increased educational cooperation and knowledge-sharing between the two countries.

The researcher noted both countries have made major contributions to ASEAN and are committed to fostering ASEAN’s relevance amid global challenges. Both have similar perceptions about the settlement of disputes by peaceful means in accordance with international rules, including the 1982 UNCLOS. - VNA/VNS