Vietnamese Vice State President Võ Thị Ánh Xuân (left) meets Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto on Monday. — VNA/VNS Photo

JAKARTA — Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has affirmed that Việt Nam is an important partner of his country in the region.

At his October 21 meeting with Vietnamese Vice State President Võ Thị Ánh Xuân, the Indonesian leader also said ample room remains for the two countries to boost their cooperation, and that the potential should be optimised to advance the collaboration, both bilaterally and multilaterally.

Xuân, in Indonesia from October 19-21 to attend the inauguration ceremony of the host President, handed over letters of congratulations from Vietnamese Party, State, and Government leaders to Subianto, and commended Indonesia’s great socio-economic achievements.

The two sides rejoiced at the positive and effective developments of the bilateral strategic partnership across spheres, and agreed to step up exchanges and meetings at all levels and through all the channels of Party, State, and exchanges between citizens and localities.

They will also work together to organise activities marking the 70th anniversary of the bilateral diplomatic ties (1955-2025), along with the 80th anniversary of Indonesia’s Independence Day and Việt Nam’s National Day next year.

Host and guest consented to soon raise the two-way trade to US$18 billion and to encourage businesses to invest in respective markets, especially in new areas like the Halal industry, digital economy, green economy, green transition, and electric vehicle ecosystem development.

Xuân called on Indonesia to continue facilitating the access of Vietnamese agricultural products and Halal-certified goods to its market, as well as Vietnamese investment in the country.

The two sides also agreed to strengthen cooperation in other key areas, including defence and security, transnational-crime combat, and maritime collaboration.

Regarding regional and international issues of shared concern, they concurred to maintain close coordination and mutual support at regional and international forums and organisations. They emphasised the importance of upholding ASEAN unity and centrality in addressing regional matters, particularly the East Sea issue.

The two sides reaffirmed their commitment to advancing negotiations for a substantive and effective Code of Conduct in the East Sea (internationally known as the South China Sea) in line with international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

On this occasion, Xuân conveyed invitations from Việt Nam’s high-ranking leaders to Subianto to pay a visit to Việt Nam soon. The Indonesian President accepted the invitation with pleasure, with the visit to be arranged at an appropriate time. — VNS