Banquet hosted in honour of Indonesian President Widodo hinh anh 1Presidents Tran Dai Quang (right) and Joko Widodo toast at the banquet in Hanoi on September 11 (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – President Tran Dai Quang and his spouse hosted a banquet in Hanoi on September 11 in honour of Indonesian President Joko Widodo and his spouse, who are on a two-day State visit to Vietnam.

In his speech, President Quang welcomed President Widodo, his wife and the high-ranking delegation of Indonesia to Vietnam.

He said Vietnam is proud to have a traditional friend and partner like Indonesia, which is not only one of the 20 biggest economies in the world but also a country of ideas that go beyond the regional boundaries, including those about independence, self-reliance, resilience and non-alignment which have become the diplomatic philosophy of Indonesia.

Vietnam-Indonesia relations have undergone 63 years of building and development, he said, noting that in 1955, then Presidents Ho Chi Minh and Sukarno established the friendship between the two countries basing on the two nations’ similar values, which laid a solid foundation for bilateral ties. The year 1990 saw an important milestone when then President Suharto became the first Southeast Asian head of state to pay an official visit to the reunified Vietnam.

[Infographics: Vietnam-Indonesia Strategic Partnership]

The host leader highlighted that in recent years, the two countries’ friendship has become more sustainable while bilateral cooperation is increasingly diverse with a significant turning point in 2013, when they set up a strategic partnership.

During this visit, Vietnamese and Indonesian leaders witnessed a new development in the countries’ relations, which is the signing of an action programme for 2019-2023 – the second of its kind for realising the strategic partnership for the next five years, he added.

President Quang affirmed that the Vietnamese State and people always treasure and work to develop the friendship with their Indonesian peers for not only today but also future generations.

In his reply, President Widodo noted the similarities in terms of population and traffic density between Hanoi and Jakarta which indicate that the two capital cities’ economies are growing strongly.

He also expressed his hope that the two nations will together make efforts to enhance relations in all spheres. –VNA
VNA