Historical milestones in relations among Vietnam, Indonesia and Myanmar

The official visit to the Republic of Indonesia and the State visit to the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, made at the invitation of Indonesian President Jiko Widodo and Myanmar’s President Htin Kyaw, by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation have concluded successfully.

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong speaks at a banquet hosted by the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. (Photo: VNA)
Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong speaks at a banquet hosted by the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. (Photo: VNA)

Taking place on the occasion of Vietnam and the Southeast Asian countries celebrating the 50th anniversary of the establishment of ASEAN, whilst Vietnam, Indonesia and Myanmar are at a critical period of economic and social development, the official visits to Indonesia and Myanmar, made by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, mark historical milestones in the relations between Vietnam and Indonesia and with Myanmar. As the countries are witnessing an international and regional situation that is changing rapidly and in a complicated manner the visits have brought the relationship between Vietnam and the two countries into a new chapter, continuing to develop appropriately in the context of the new situation. The two visits demonstrate that Vietnam continues to affirm the foreign policy of the Party and State, in which they attach great importance to the friendship and cooperation with other countries in the region, especially the ASEAN countries.

The leaders and people of Indonesia and Myanmar have given Party Secretary General Nguyen Phu Trong and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation a warm and friendly welcome with the highest reception protocol, showing the friendly relationship between the two countries and Vietnam.

On the basis of the time-honoured friendship and multi-faceted cooperation between Vietnam and the two ASEAN countries, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and the leaders of the two countries had reliable, sincere, open and practical talks.

In Indonesia, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and Indonesian President Joko Widodo expressed their delight at the development of their bilateral ties over the past six decades, especially since the establishment of their strategic partnership in 2013. The leaders agreed to maintain regular visits and meetings at all levels, and through different channels, in order to increase their mutual understanding and trust and to promote mutually-beneficial cooperation, while effectively upholding the existing cooperation mechanisms, including the Bilateral Cooperation Committee and the Joint Committee on Economic, Scientific and Technological Cooperation, in addition to enhancing the links between localities of the two nations. The two sides also shared the view that cooperation in defence and security has been a bright spot in their bilateral relations over recent years and is also a crucial pillar of their cooperation that must be strengthened. On that basis, they pledged to coordinate closely in fighting terrorism, cyber and hi-tech crimes, human trafficking, drug trafficking and transnational crimes. The two sides pledged to accelerate and promptly conclude negotiations on the demarcation of exclusive economic zones, towards devising overall solutions, including the settling of issues related to fishing boats and fishermen in the spirit of humanity, friendship and solidarity within ASEAN, in line with the bilateral strategic partnership and on the basis of respect for each country’s independence and sovereignty.

During his stay in Indonesia, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong also met President of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) Megawati Sukarnoputri. General Secretary Trong stressed that the Communist Party of Vietnam values and wishes to expand its affiliations with the PDI-P, adding that it is an important political basis to boost the relations between Vietnam and Indonesia. For her part, Megawati Sukarnoputri said that her party will continue to give priority to boosting their relations with Vietnam and effectively implement the agreements secured during the Vietnamese Party leader’s current visit.

In Myanmar, the Party chief held talks with President Htin Kyaw and met Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and other leaders of political parties. On the basis of the growing bilateral ties and new developments in the region and the world, the leaders agreed to establish a comprehensive cooperative partnership between Vietnam and Myanmar. This partnership will intensify the countries’ five cooperation pillars, namely political relations; defence and security cooperation; economic cooperation; cultural and social cooperation, people-to-people exchanges, and other fields of shared concern; and cooperation in the region and the world. With the newly founded comprehensive cooperative partnership, the two sides have agreed to enhance their political ties through mutual visits and meetings at all levels. They agreed to bolster government-to-government cooperation and make efforts to improve bilateral cooperation in economy, culture and science-technique. To strengthen the two economies’ connectivity, they pledged to prioritise cooperation in transport infrastructure and tourism, while expanding their connections in agriculture-forestry, telecommunications and banking. Both sides also welcomed the continuation of cooperation in the management and sustainable and effective use of the Mekong River’s water resources, which they stated are important to all of the Mekong countries, including Vietnam and Myanmar, as well as to the connectivity, community building, stability and development of ASEAN.

At the talks, General Secretary Trong and the leaders of Indonesia and Myanmar exchanged views on international and regional issues of mutual concern. They repeated the commitment to maintaining and promoting peace, security and stability in the region; ensuring security, safety and freedom of maritime and over-flight navigation in the East Sea; resolving disputes by peaceful means; as well as enhancing solidarity and unity in ASEAN and the bloc’s central role in maintaining peace, stability, security and cooperation in the region.

In his speech on the developments in the 50 years since the formation of ASEAN and the organisations future directions, at Indonesia’s Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Jakarta, the Party chief said that Vietnam considers the ASEAN as a common home and prioritises their relations with the other member countries. In order to realise the ASEAN Vision 2025, he highlighted the need for the association to successfully build an ASEAN Community of solidarity, strength and prosperity, whilst maintaining and reinforcing regional peace and stability, and strengthening the partnership with outside partners, in addition to promoting the central role of the bloc in the regional architecture.

On the occasion of the Party General Secretary's visits to Indonesia and Myanmar, Vietnam and the two countries signed a total of ten cooperation documents.

The important results achieved during the official visit to Indonesia and the State visit to Myanmar by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong have contributed to creating a historical milestone, as well as strengthening the important political foundations and cooperation in all areas between Vietnam and the two countries, meeting the practical interests of the people of each country, as well as promoting peace and stability, cooperation and prosperous development in the region and around the world.