Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on April 24 met with Indonesian President
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono after arriving in Bandar Seri Begawan, the
capital of Brunei, on the same day to attend the 22nd ASEAN Summit.
At the meeting, the two sides highly valued the
robust development of bilateral relations over the past time and
promised to urge ministries and departments to work together timely and
effectively in implementing cooperation contents under the
Vietnam–Indonesia Action Programme for the 2012–2015 period.
They appreciated the efficiency of the bilateral cooperation
mechanism, including the Foreign Minister-level Bilateral Cooperation
Committee and the Joint Committee on economic, scientific and
technological cooperation.
Bilateral trade between
Vietnam and Indonesia was valued at 4.6 billion USD in 2012 and
is expected to increase to 5 billion USD before 2015.
In order to lift the two countries’ relations to a new level, the two
leaders agreed that ministries and departments should work together to
upgrade their bilateral ties to a strategic partnership on the occasion
of Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang’s visit to Indonesia this
year.
Regarding regional and international issues,
Dung said he hopes Indonesia will continue assisting the ASEAN Chair,
along with Vietnam and other ASEAN member nations, in promoting the
bloc’s goals, such as community building and upholding ASEAN’s central
role in the region, contributing to peace, security and development in
the region, including peace and stability in the East Sea.
Yudhoyono vowed that his country will work closely with Vietnam to
strengthen solidarity, build the community and bring ASEAN’s central
role into full play.
The two
leaders agreed that 2013 is a key year to speed up regional cooperation
towards realising the goal of establishing the ASEAN Community by 2015.
Consequently, regional nations should step up efforts to fulfill the
agenda on time.
Discussing the East Sea
situation, they affirmed that peace, stability, maritime security and
safety are the common concern and benefit of ASEAN and related
countries.
For this reason, according to them,
ASEAN needs to uphold solidarity and common voice, promote basic
principles of common consent, particularly in complying with
international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of
the Sea.
They shared the view that the region
should not further complicate the situation, settle any disputes by
peaceful means, fully and effectively implement ASEAN’s Declaration on
the Six-Point Principles, the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in
the East Sea (DOC), ASEAN and Chinese leaders’ commitments at the
ASEAN–China Joint Declaration on the occasion of the 10th anniversary
of the DOC, and soon formulate a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC).
Themed “Our people, Our future”, the 22 nd ASEAN
Summit will discuss several topics, including ASEAN’s 2013 priorities;
accelerating ASEAN community formation and future orientation; as well
as expanding the bloc’s external relations and promoting ASEAN’s central
role in the shaping of regional structure.
During the summit, ASEAN leaders will also exchange views on regional
and international issues of common concern, particularly those that
ensure peace, security and development cooperation in the region and
East Sea issue, as well as cooperation in adapting to
challenges such as environmental change, natural disasters, epidemics
and other non-traditional security challenges.
The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, known as ASEAN,
comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the
Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.-VNA