Indonesian President Joko Widodo (L) welcomes General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong during the later's official visit to Indonesia in 2017 (Source: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Indonesian Ambassador toVietnam Ibnu Hadi has highlighted the spirit of friendship between his country andVietnam in an article on the 73rd anniversary of Indonesia’s Independence Day(August 17, 1945-2018).
He noted that this year, Indonesia and Vietnam haveboth celebrated their 73rd anniversaries of their Independence Days. Bothnations declared independence after World War II in 1945.
The ambassador recalled that the first President of Indonesia President Sukarnoand Vietnamese President Ho Chi Minh were close friends.
Ibnu Hadi expressed his joy at the Vietnam-Indonesia strategic cooperation,saying that the process of bilateral cooperation between the two countries hasbeen in line with the Action Plan of 2014-2018.
The diplomat highlighted that two-way trade in the first half of 2018 hitnearly 4 billion USD, presenting a year-on-year increase of 24 percent. Thefigure is likely to double by the end of the year, which is 20 percent higherthan that of 2017.
Investment from Indonesia to Vietnam surged 36 percent in 2017, while thosefrom Vietnam to Indonesia also recorded a remarkable growth. The number of Vietnameseand Indonesian tourists visiting the two countries is on the rise, he added.
Indonesia is optimistic about achieving the bilateral trade target of 10billion USD by 2020, he noted.
The celebration of Indonesia's Independence Day onAugust 17, 2018 is all the more exciting and meaningful when it takes place theday before the opening ceremony of the 18th Asian Games, Ibnu Hadi said.
Indonesia is proud of hosting the event, themed “Energyof Asia”, for the second time, the ambassador stressed, expressing his hopethat Indonesians’ friendliness andhospitality will impress international friends.
The sport event is hopedto strengthen friendship and solidarity among not only athletes joining theevent, but also people across Asian nations, he said.
“I am very impressed with the official visit of General Secretary of theCommunist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong to Indonesia in August 2017, whichwas a great success”, he emphasised, noting that the visit helped furtherpromote bilateral relations in trade, education, agriculture, and maritime cooperation,he noted.
Indonesia is preparing for President Joko Widodo’s official to Vietnam and hispresence at the World Economic Forum on ASEAN 2018 in September, he said.
The visits willundoubtedly further bolster bilateral relations between the two Southeast Asiancountries across many different fields, he added.
The diplomat affirmed that as Indonesia’s ambassador to Vietnam, he is honouredto cooperate, support, and maintain friendly relations with governmentofficials, partners, friends, and all relevant parties; as well as making everyeffort to maintain good relations between Vietnam and Indonesia.
He underlined that Indonesiahas played an increasingly important role in the international arena. As thecountry with the largest Muslim population, the third largest democraticnation, the 16th largest economy in the world, and a well-known Southeast Asiannation, Indonesia has always contributed positively to prosperity and peace inthe region and in the world. Indonesia is the largest economy in Southeast Asia,with its GDP reaching a milestone of 1 trillion USD in 2017. –VNA
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