Indonesian Ambassador to Vietnam Mayerfas speaks at the event. (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – A ceremony marking 60-year ties between Vietnam and Indonesia was held in Hanoi on December 30.
Opening the event, Chairman of the Vietnam – Indonesia Friendship Association Nguyen Dang Tien recalled milestones accomplished by the two nations.
Vietnam and Indonesia established diplomatic ties at the consular level on December 30, 1955 and upgraded to ambassadorial level a decade later. In 2003, during former Indonesian President Megawati’s trip to Vietnam, both sides signed a comprehensive partnership agreement.
They agreed to elevate bilateral ties to strategic partnership in September 2011 as Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung visited Indonesia. The partnership was realised in June 2013 during President Truong Tan Sang’s Indonesia visit. In October 2013, the two countries’ foreign ministers inked an action plan to implement Vietnam-Indonesia strategic partnership for 2014-2018.
Indonesia is Vietnam’s fourth largest trade partner in ASEAN. The two countries target to raise two-way trade to 10 billion USD by 2018 from 5.6 billion USD in 2014.
The two nations have maintained strong security-defence relations through cooperation at ASEAN’s regional forum and defence minister conferences.
In terms of education, 200 Vietnamese students are studying in Indonesia. The figure is anticipated to follow an upward trend moving forward.
Every year, 50,000 Vietnamese tourists arrive in Indonesia, and 80,000 Indonesians travelled to Vietnam.
Indonesian Ambassador to Vietnam Mayerfas said he was delighted at these achievements and expressed his belief in the ties’ future development.
The ceremony featured a musical concert performed by Vietnamese and Indonesian troupes.-VNA
