Hanoi (VNA) – President Tran Dai Quang and hisspouse hosted a banquet in Hanoi on September 11 in honour of IndonesianPresident Joko Widodo and his spouse, who are on a two-day State visit toVietnam.
In his speech, President Quang welcomedPresident Widodo, his wife and the high-ranking delegation of Indonesia toVietnam.
He said Vietnam is proud to have a traditionalfriend and partner like Indonesia, which is not only one of the 20 biggesteconomies in the world but also a country of ideas that go beyond the regionalboundaries, including those about independence, self-reliance, resilience andnon-alignment which have become the diplomatic philosophy of Indonesia.
Vietnam-Indonesia relations have undergone 63years of building and development, he said, noting that in 1955, thenPresidents Ho Chi Minh and Sukarno established the friendship between the twocountries basing on the two nations’ similar values, which laid a solidfoundation for bilateral ties. The year 1990 saw an important milestone whenthen President Suharto became the first Southeast Asian head of state to pay anofficial visit to the reunified Vietnam.
[Infographics: Vietnam-Indonesia Strategic Partnership]
The host leader highlighted that in recentyears, the two countries’ friendship has become more sustainable whilebilateral cooperation is increasingly diverse with a significant turning pointin 2013, when they set up a strategic partnership.
During this visit, Vietnamese and Indonesianleaders witnessed a new development in the countries’ relations, which is thesigning of an action programme for 2019-2023 – the second of its kind forrealising the strategic partnership for the next five years, he added.
President Quang affirmed that the VietnameseState and people always treasure and work to develop the friendship with theirIndonesian peers for not only today but also future generations.
In his reply, President Widodo noted thesimilarities in terms of population and traffic density between Hanoi and Jakartawhich indicate that the two capital cities’ economies are growing strongly.
He also expressed his hope that the two nationswill together make efforts to enhance relations in all spheres. –VNA