Vietnamese Ambassador to Indonesia Ta Van Thong poses for a photo with reporters at the meeting. (Photo: VNA)Meeting with reporters of local and international press agencies in Jakarta on December 6 ahead of the New Year 2023, the diplomat affirmed that the Government andpeople of Vietnam never forget the consistent support and valuable assistance givenby their Indonesian counterparts to Vietnam’s struggle for nationalindependence and international integration process in the past as well as inthe present cause of national development.
Thong underlined that despite ups and downs in history,Vietnam and Indonesia have always given each other mutual support,coordination, and close, comprehensive and trustworthy cooperation. Theestablishment of the bilateral strategic partnership in 2013 laid a foundationand created an important motivation for the development of the bilateral ties in allfields, he said.
The ambassador held that the Vietnam-Indonesia relationshiphas never been as strong as it is today in the political field with frequenthigh-level meetings and visits by the two countries' senior leaders, with the mostrecent being the phone talks between Party General Secretary NguyenPhu Trong and President Joko Widodo, and the meeting between Prime MinisterPham Minh Chinh and President Joko Widodo on the sidelines of the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, in early November.
After the COVID-19 pandemic was put under control in both Vietnam and Indonesia, directair routes between the two countries have been resumed, facilitating the travel and promoting people-to-people exchanges between the two countries,he said.
Thong underlined that trade between the two countries has grown rapidly, reaching 11 billion USD in 2021, surpassing the set target of 10 billion USD. Vietnamis one of the biggest trade partners of Indonesia. Recently, the two sides haveset a new goal of 15 billion USD in bilateral trade by 2028.
In terms of education, he said that the Vietnamese Embassy will work hard tobring Vietnamese students back to Indonesia for study after COVID-19,considering it as a way to foster mutual understanding and cooperation between the twocountries.
Announcing that Vietnam and Indonesia will celebrate the 10th anniversary of their strategic partnership next year, Thong said hehoped journalists will contribute their ideas on celebration activities and cover this important event.
The diplomat also affirmed the important role of press agencies inpromoting mutual understanding and friendship between the two nations' people, andpledged to make every effort to contribute to strengthening the relationshipbetween the two countries and deepening people-to-people exchanges./.
VNA
