Jakarta (VNA) – The statevisit to Indonesia by President Nguyen Xuan Phuc from December 21 to 23 is animportant event marking a stride in the two countries’ relations and helpingdevelop their strategic partnership in an increasingly substantive andeffective manner, said Vietnamese Ambassador to the country Ta Van Thong.

Talking to Vietnam News Agency, Thongsaid bilateral relations have grown on the basis of friendship and mutual trustinto a strategic partnership that covers all fields of cooperation and is afuture-oriented relationship.

The coming trip by President Phucwill affirm the two countries’ strategic role towards each other and theircommon strategic interests. It will also substantially help enhance mutual understandingand political trust, thus creating an important political foundation forexpanding ties between the two Governments, parliaments, localities, andpeoples, and fostering cooperation at multiple levels and in many areas, henoted.

Highlighting major achievements andmilestones in bilateral relations, the ambassador said Vietnam and Indonesia boastmuch untapped potential as well as many complementary strengths. Both arealso active members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) andhold certain roles and statures in the region.

To further advance bilateralcooperation as their strategic partnership will turn 10 next year, he held thatthe two sides should prioritise stepping up cooperation in some areas.

In terms of politics and security,Vietnam and Indonesia should promote unanimity and coordination at multilateralorganisations and forums to help strengthen ASEAN’s solidarity and centrality,and maintain peace, stability, cooperation, and development in the region andthe world; press on with opinion exchanges and meetings at all levels; bringinto play existing cooperation mechanisms; coordinate their policies in linewith Indonesia’s priorities towards the region, especially when the archipelagonation will serve as the ASEAN Chair in 2023; and launch a programme forimplementing the strategic partnership for the next phase.

The two countries should also fostereconomic, trade, and investment links; work out measures for raising bilateraltrade to 15 billion USD by 2028; reinforce economic connections, includingdeveloping balanced trade and tapping into cooperation potential in new aspects,especially energy transition; and conduct negotiations to remove non-tradebarriers, tackle difficulties, and create more favourable conditions forbusinesses to access each other’s markets, Thong went on.

They need to increasepeople-to-people connectivity via the exchanges of arts troupes, mass organisations, and localities. It is also important to work together to turnIndonesia into one of the favourite destinations of Vietnamese students inSoutheast Asia, and increase scholarships for each other’s students, accordingto him.

The diplomat held that the two sidesalso hold huge tourism potential which should be optimised more strongly through products linking the countries and communications to deepen mutualunderstanding of each other’s histories, traditions, and cultures.

He suggested increasing the flight frequencyof current air routes and opening new ones connecting their touristdestinations, adding that tourism cooperation projects should take into accountIndonesia’s relocation of its capital and development of new regions.

For its part, the Vietnamese Embassywill continue acting as a bridge and working hard to help promote bilateral relations,Thong added./.