PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc held bilateral meetings on sidelines of ASEAN Summit

PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc meets Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Photo: VNA)

The Vietnamese PM and President Joko Widodo shared the joy over the mutual trust and close ties between the two countries in the framework of their strategic partnership. They welcomed the outcomes of the third session of the Vietnam – Indonesia Bilateral Cooperation Committee at foreign ministerial level in Hanoi on April 17, which outlined the major directions for bilateral cooperation across the fields, including pushing for the completion by the end of this year of a plan of action for the bilateral strategic partnership in 2019-2023, so that it can be implemented at the beginning of 2019.

The two leaders stressed the need to work for the target of 10 billion USD in bilateral trade and assigned relevant agencies to conduct negotiations and sign agreements necessary for achieving the target as early as possible.

President Widodo welcomed measures suggested by PM Phuc to bolster bilateral cooperation, including the signing of agreements on trade, agro-fisheries, defence-security and anti-crime.

PM Phuc thanked Indonesia for its active cooperation with Vietnam in returning Vietnamese fishermen, and asked Indonesia to continue handling the issue in line with the ASEAN spirit of friendship, humanitarianism and solidarity as well as the Vietnam-ASEAN strategic partnership.

The Indonesian President thanked Vietnam for its support of Indonesia’s initiative on organizing a meeting of ASEAN leaders on the sidelines of the Annual Meetings 2018 of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB) slated for October 11 this year in Bali, Indonesia. He repeated an invitation to PM Phuc to attend the Meetings.

The two leaders also discussed several international and regional issues of mutual concern, including mutual support regarding matters related to the regional architecture, non-conventional security issues, cooperation and security on the East Sea and regional waters, the fight against pirate and crime, and illegal fishing.

They agreed to continue coordinating stance at regional and international forums, especially in the ASEAN.

PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Myanmar President Win Myint at their bilateral meeting (Photo: VNA)

Talking to the Myanmar President, PM Phuc affirmed that Vietnam supports the Myanmar Government in the process of national reconciliation and harmony.

The two leaders expressed satisfaction about the traditional friendship between the two countries during the past over 40 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1975. They agreed that the elevation of bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership on the occasion of the State visit to Myanmar by General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong had turned a new page in their cooperation.

They shared the view that bilateral political ties had grown closer through maintaining high-level exchanges and contact, while economic, trade and investment ties have deepened with Vietnam having become the 7th biggest foreign investment in Myanmar and the 11th biggest trade partner of Myanmar.

Bilateral cooperation in security-defence has been strengthened, meeting the needs of both sides, and the expansion of cultural, sport, educational linkages and people-to-people exchange has contributed to enhancing mutual understanding and the traditional friendship between the two countries. 

PM Phuc said the two sides should act to implement the outcomes achieved during the recent official visit to Vietnam by Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi. He also asked the Myanmar Government to create favourable conditions for businesses of both countries to expand links and for Vietnamese firms to invest in Myanmar.

President Win Myint pledged that the Myanmar Government would adopt open policies to attract foreign investment, including investment from Vietnam, and urged more Vietnamese companies to invest and do business in Myanmar.

Regarding regional and international issues, the two sides affirmed their intention to coordinate closely within ASEAN to consolidate intra-bloc solidarity and promote ASEAN’s central role. They agreed to continue cooperating closely with each other and with other countries in the framework of the Cambodia-Laos-Myanmar-Vietnam (CLMV) mechanism and the Ayeyarwady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic  Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS).

They shared the common stance of ASEAN on effectively implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and striving for the early completion of an effective and legally-binding Code of Conduct (COC).

Later the same day, PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his entourage left Singapore, concluding his trip for an official visit to the country and to attend the 32nd ASEAN Summit at the invitation of Singaporean PM Lee Hsien Loong./.

VNA