NA Chairwoman meets Indonesian Lower House Speaker in Geneva

At the meeting. (Source: VNA)

The Vietnamese top legislator used the occasion to thank the Indonesian parliamentary delegation for attending the 26th Annual Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF-26), which took place in Vietnam’s capital city of Hanoi in January 2018. 

She said the Vietnam-Indonesia strategic partnership has served practical interests of their people, while contributing to peace, stability and development in the region, and connecting country members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
NA Chairwoman Ngan applauded affiliation in national defence-security between Vietnam and Indonesia, as well as their efforts to push the signing of an agreement on joint patrol and establishment of a hotline between the two countries’ naval forces and a policy dialogue mechanism at the deputy defence ministerial level. 

In reply, Bambang Soesatyo suggested the Vietnamese and Indonesian legislative bodies intensify the exchange of all-level delegations and supervise the implementation of signed agreements. 

He noted his hope for the enhanced legislative ties, contributing to boosting the Indonesia-Vietnam relationship. 

The Speaker thanked Vietnam for its support to Indonesia to become a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for 2019-2020, and emphasised that Indonesia backs Vietnam’s bid to run for a non-permanent seat in the council for 2020-2021. 

In the sphere of economy, the Speaker said Indonesia calls for Vietnamese investment in oil and gas exploration and exploitation, expressing his wish that Vietnam will be one of the big trade partners of Indonesia. 

His view was echoed by NA Chairwoman Ngan, who said that Vietnam and Indonesia have substantial potential for cooperation in trade and investment, urging the two countries to raise bilateral trade to 10 billion USD in the time ahead.

The Vietnamese top legislator voiced her hope that the Speaker will urge competent Indonesian agencies to seek measures to soon end negotiations on demarcation of exclusive economic zones in the waters where the two sides delimited the continental shelf boundary in 2003 and that the two sides will soon sign a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in seafood and fisheries, and set up a hotline against illegal fishing. 

Lauding Indonesia’s coordination in repatriating Vietnamese fishermen, NA Chairwoman Ngan proposed the two sides handle the issue in the humanitarian spirit, and in line with the strategic partnership as well as their ASEAN membership.

She appealed to the two countries to continue to work closely with each other and with other ASEAN members in order to intensify intra-bloc cooperation and solidarity and maintain peace, stability and cooperation in the region, while joining hands with other nations in settling the East Sea issue by peaceful measure and on the basis of regulations of international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982 UNCLOS), full and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) toward the early conclusion of a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC).

Regarding bilateral legislative ties, the NA Chairwoman suggested the two sides step up delegation exchange, with attention paid to cooperation between specialised committees through information and experience sharing, as well as coordination at international parliamentary forums, especially the IPU and APPF.

She invited Speaker Bambang Soesatyo to visit Vietnam at an early date.

The same day, NA Chairwoman Ngan had a meeting with the Vietnamese mission in Geneva, the staff of the Vietnamese Embassy and representatives of the Vietnamese community in Switzerland./.

VNA