At the meeting, both sides voiced their pleasure at the development of bilateral traditional relations and their strategic partnership over recent years.

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Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh (right) and Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi at the talks

Prior to the 65th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties (December 30) in 2020, Minh and Marsudi agreed to boost cooperation in all fields, jointly organize celebration activities to raise the public awareness of their bilateral ties, and foster the operation of the bilateral cooperative mechanisms.

Regarding cooperation within ASEAN, the Indonesian diplomat affirmed that Jakarta supports Hanoi’s initiatives during the ASEAN Chairmanship Year 2020 with the theme of “Connection and Proactive Adaptation.”

Additionally, the two ministers expressed their concerns over the recent developments in the East Sea (South China Sea), especially recent activities violating legitimate rights of coastal countries and hindering normal and long-lasting economic activities. These activities have seriously affected regional peace, stability, and security and undermined the spirit of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties on the East Sea (DOC) and the favorable environment for negotiations of the Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC).

They underlined that Vietnam, Indonesia, and other ASEAN member nations should work together to maintain their common voice and ASEAN’s central role and promote observance  for international law, including the United Nations Conventions on the Law of the Sea 1982 (UNCLOS 1982).

Moreover, Vietnam and Indonesia will continue close coordination at the UN, especially the UN Security Council (UNSC) in 2020. Indonesia pledges to support Vietnam to successfully complete its role as the UNSC Chair next January.

Translated by Van Hieu