“For a long time, we have wanted to form a strategic economic partnership forum with Vietnam,” Deputy Minister for Economic Affairs Edi Prio Pambudi said here on Sunday.
He conveyed the statement after a bilateral meeting with Vietnam’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nguyen Minh Hang, in Nha Trang City, Vietnam.
Pambudi said that Indonesia is interested in Vietnam’s rapidly growing cutting-edge industry, such as electric cars, semiconductors, telecommunications, and digital technology, in addition to agricultural and fisheries technology.
“For this reason, it is important for Indonesia to establish partnerships (with Vietnam) through research and development, the exchange of job opportunities and training for digital talents and engineers, and the facilitation of each other to open investment doors,” he said.
Furthermore, he said he had proposed the concept of a partnership agreement through diplomatic means and hoped it could be agreed upon soon.
The agreement will become a foundation to facilitate strategic and concrete economic cooperation, such as advanced technology training for technicians and digital talents.
Indonesia and Vietnam have partnered in several forums other than ASEAN, such as the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).
However, Pambudi said there is a need to strengthen economic integration in ASEAN.
He also asked for Vietnam’s help as a member of the Great Mekong Sub-region (GMS), which is an ASEAN sub-regional cooperation forum, to communicate with other GMS partners.
Meanwhile, Nguyen said that the potential for establishing a strategic economic partnership between Indonesia and Vietnam came at the right moment, ahead of the 70th anniversary of Indonesia-Vietnam diplomatic relations.
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