General Secretary and President To Lam receives Indonesian President-elect Prabowo Subianto. (Photo: Tuan Anh)

What are your comments on the results of the Indonesian President-elect Prabowo Subianto's visit (September 13-14) to our relations?

During the visit, the President-elect was warmly welcomed by Vietnamese leaders including Secretary General of Communist Party of Vietnam and President To Lam, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, and Chairman of National Assembly Tran Thanh Man. This signifies the close friendship and relations between Indonesia and Vietnam which has been nurtured even before our respective independences in 1945.

Indonesian Ambassador to Vietnam Denny Abdi. (Photo: Phuong Ha)

The visit of the President-elect is a testament to Indonesia’s commitment to continue working hand-in-hand with Vietnam in various issues of common interest. This includes in promoting cooperation between our nations, advocating for peace, stability and prosperity in the region and beyond, as well in strengthening our contributions to the international community.

President Joko Widodo paid a state visit to Vietnam in January 2024 to review our outstanding bilateral relations, which exceeded our total bilateral trade target by 38%. The President-elect’s visit reaffirms the commitments made during President Joko Widodo’s visit to strengthen various areas of cooperation in supporting our shared visions and interests for the people of the two countries, the region, and beyond.

As Indonesia and Vietnam will have new leaders in 2024, I believe that our new leaderships will invigorate cooperation and inject a new energy for Indonesia-Vietnam relations as we strive towards our shared visions to become high-income economies in 2045.

What are the main focuses of the visit, especially, in economic cooperation with the target of US$18 billion bilateral trade by 2028?

The visit produced commitments by the President-elect and Vietnamese leaders to promote cooperation in various sectors.

In security and defence, the two sides reaffirmed the commitments of both countries to strengthen collaboration in combatting transnational crime and illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

On regional affairs, Indonesia and Vietnam committed to promote ASEAN unity and centrality, as well as affirmed the importance in maintaining peace, stability, and security in the South China Sea by upholding international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). A peaceful and stable region is the foundation for development as well as a strong and sustainable economy.

The visit also discussed commitments to elevate bilateral relations to new heights. Including in achieving the target of US$18 billion bilateral trade by 2028. To reach this, the two sides agreed to continue encouraging collaboration in sectors of priority.

In food security, Indonesia and Vietnam will continue to work together to promote cooperation and collaboration. As top producers in rice and fisheries, cooperation between the two countries will have a great impact on the increase of income for the farmers and fishermen in both Indonesia and Vietnam and will strengthen regional food security.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh receives Indonesian President-elect Prabowo Subianto. (Source: VNA)

In renewable energy, both countries will continue to promote collaboration to achieve our respective net zero targets. This is especially important, to share experiences and best practices on the implementation of the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP).

In digital economy and high-tech industries, Indonesia and Vietnam will strengthen collaboration and complement each other’s efforts, for example in the development of a regional electric vehicle ecosystem.

These are the key priorities of Indonesia-Vietnam relations.

What are your expectations for a new milestone in bilateral relations, towards the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries in the coming time?

2025 will be an important year for Indonesia and Vietnam. Both countries will celebrate its respective 80th independence day, whilst in bilateral context, Indonesia and Vietnam will celebrate the 70th year of the establishment of our diplomatic relations which was established in 1955.

The 70th year of diplomatic relations is already a milestone on itself, but we believe this is also a great momentum to mark the elevation of our Strategic Partnership established in 2013 into a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

This will be a significant milestone for the two countries in achieving our bilateral trade target of USD 18 Billion by 2028 and our shared visions in becoming high-income economies in 2045 whilst achieving our respective net-zero target emissions. By such elevation, we believe that Indonesia and Vietnam can promote existing strong cooperation in sectors such as agriculture, fisheries, trade, and investment, whilst exploring and expanding new opportunities.

Some new sectors that can be strengthened further include human development, tourism, semiconductor, electric vehicles, and research-based industries. The two countries can continue to work closely together to promote economic cooperation, develop high value-added products, and establish a regional production base.