Vietnam always be an important partner for Indonesia

January 12, 2019 | 09:07

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In the annual Press Statement delivered in Jakarta, Indonesia, on January 9, 2019, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia Retno L.P. Marsudi emphasised that Vietnam has always been an important partner for Indonesia.

vietnam always be an important partner for indonesia

Retno L.P. Marsudi, Minister of Foreign Affair of Indonesia, delivering the press statement

Retno said 2018 is a special year for Indonesian-Vietnamese bilateral relations. President of the Republic of Indonesia Joko Widodo paid a state visit to Hanoi from September 11-12, 2018 and attended the World Economic Forum (WEF) on ASEAN. This visit coincided with the fifth anniversary of the Indonesian-Vietnamese strategic partnership, which was established in 2013.

Retno was also happy to inform that in 2018, Indonesia and Vietnam agreed to accept the principle of non-single line, which differentiates the Continental Shelf Line from the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) line.

Regarding trade relations, in 2018 the two-way trade turnover between the two countries reached over $8.2 billion, up $1.7 billion or 26 per cent compared to 2017. The main products Indonesia exported to Vietnam were coal and charcoal ($789 million), oil (nearly $300 million), computers and electric products (nearly $283 million), while Vietnam’s largest export categories to Indonesia were steel and iron ($533 million), rice ($363 million), and spare parts ($267 billion).

In early January this year, the Indonesian Embassy welcomed the placement of a Trade Attaché in Hanoi as one of the concrete efforts to achieve the bilateral trade target of $10 billion by 2020.

In addition, in line with Indonesia’s foreign policy priorities, Retno said Indonesia is looking forward to cooperate with Vietnam in accelerating the negotiations on the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), protecting Indonesian citizens living in Vietnam, boosting economic cooperation, as well as maintaining regional security and stability.

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