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| Party General Secretary To Lam (L) and President of Indonesia and Chairman of the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) Prabowo Subianto meet with the press__Photo: VNA |
Both regional and international public opinion and experts have appreciated the upgrade of Vietnam's relations with Indonesia and Singapore to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, affirming that this is a significant step forward and demonstrates Vietnam's proactive stance and readiness to enhance its position in a new stage.
They held that the state visit to Indonesia and official visits to the ASEAN Secretariat and Singapore by General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee To Lam from March 9-13 achieved all the set objectives at a high level, with the most notable accomplishment being the upgrade of Vietnam’s relations with the two countries.
These moves clearly demonstrate Vietnam's foreign policy of active and proactive integration into the international community, and emphasize the importance of developing its relations with countries within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
As for Lam’s state visit to Indonesia and his official visit to the ASEAN Secretariat, the regional and international media assessed the potential for cooperation between the two countries as huge in emerging fields such as green economy, circular economy, renewable energy and semiconductor technology. They also highlighted the two nations’ desire to explore collaboration in other important areas, such as defense, security, and maritime affairs, and promote people-to-people exchanges, particularly between young generations, and enhance tourism cooperation.
Beni Sukadis, Senior Researcher at the Indonesia Institute for Defense and Strategic Studies (LESPERSSI), said that Lam’s visits to Indonesia and the ASEAN Secretariat have been widely recognized as a landmark diplomatic success between Vietnam and Indonesia, while serving as a proof of the strong bilateral relationship and solidarity within the ASEAN region.
According to the scholar, the visit has strengthened Vietnam's position in regional security cooperation, as the two countries reaffirmed their commitments to maritime stability, counter-terrorism, and defense collaboration.
By fostering closer ties with Vietnam, Indonesia not only expands economic opportunities but also enhances its strategic influence in regional diplomacy, ensuring a resilient future and deeper cooperation, said Sukadis.
Some regional and international newswires praised the timing of the partnership upgrade as the two countries share many similarities as well as challenges, and can act together in numerous fields.
Assoc. Prof., Dr. Dinna Prapto Raharja, Senior Policy Advisor at the Synergy Policies Research and Training Institute, affirmed that with the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, the two countries can inspire each other to fully capitalize on opportunities in science and technology.
She held that cooperation with Vietnam can bring benefits to Indonesia. This elevated relationship can help both sides cooperate more closely with other ASEAN member states to ensure regional stability, and strengthen security and defense ties.- (VNA/VLLF)
