The following is the full text of the interviews.

Interview President Truong Tan Sang by the Jakarta Post

- Ten years ago both Vietnam and Indonesia agreed to forge a Comprehensive Partnership and now that partnership had transformed into a “Strategic Partnership”. How do you describe the fast growing strategic ties between Vietnam and Indonesia and their future direction in the next  five years?

Viet Nam and Indonesia enjoy a time-honored traditional friendship, which has been continuously nurtured by generations of the Leaders and the peoples of the two countries. Based on that good foundation, in June 2003, the two sides signed the “Joint Statement on the framework of friendly and comprehensive cooperation entering into the 21st century”.

The signing of this Joint Statement opened up a new page for a stronger and more comprehensive relationship between the two countries. Viet Nam and Indonesia have frequently exchanged visits and contacts between the high-level leaders of the two sides. Many bilateral cooperation mechanisms have been established and operating effectively. The two sides have signed more than 30 agreements and memorandum of understanding for cooperation in all important areas such as politics, national defense and security, economics, trade, investment, education and agriculture, etc., thus laying the firm legal foundation for comprehensive bilateral relations.

In the future, our two countries should further deepen our bilateral ties. First and foremost, we should actively coordinate with each other to develop a new Action Plan to intensify political cooperation, promote sustainable development in economic and trade relations to soon exceed the bilateral trade target of US$ 5 billion before 2015 and strive for US$ 10 billion before 2018, strengthen security and defense cooperation, and expand cooperation to other potential areas such as education and training, maritime issues and fisheries, oil and gas, culture, sports and tourism, and people-to-people exchange, etc., with an aim to make cooperation in these fields match our potentials and the existing excellent  political relations between the two countries.

In regard to multilateral cooperation, the two sides will cooperate and coordinate closely both at international and regional forums, particularly the ASEAN and UN, and promote the building of the ASEAN Community by 2015.

It is expected that during this visit, leaders of the two countries will announce the official upgrade of bilateral relations to a strategic partnership. I firmly believe that this visit of mine to Indonesia will contribute to further tightening the comprehensive cooperation between our two countries, for the interests of the two peoples and for peace, stability and prosperity in the region.

- In less than three years time, the people of ASEAN will be forming themselves into a community. As two key regional players, Vietnam and Indonesia should do in building a stronger and united ASEAN?

We all know that at the recent 21st ASEAN Summit, ASEAN Leaders agreed to choose December 31, 2015 as the official birthday of the ASEAN Community. In 2013, under the theme “Our people, our future together”, ASEAN has been prioritizing efforts aiming at creating strong shifts in the establishment of the ASEAN Community to ensure the good progress as stated in the roadmap and achieve the set targets by 2015. To date, the outcomes are quite promising. It could be said that ASEAN has gone two thirds of its journey towards the establishment of the Community. However, achievements are uneven in the three pillars, mainly due to resources shortage, differences in the development levels of individual countries, as well as the impacts caused by objective challenges.

Viet Nam highly values the role of Indonesia, a key ASEAN member with many initiatives of strategic significance. It helps set directions for the cooperation within ASEAN and with its outside partners, including the Bali Concord II (Declaration on ASEAN Harmonization II – 2003) and Bali Concord III (Declaration on the ASEAN Community in Global community of nations – 2011). While serving as the ASEAN Chair in 2011, Indonesia actively promoted its leading role in setting directions for ASEAN to enhance its coordination of position and actions on global issues, consolidate intra-regional unity and resolve differences among members, etc.

In the future, the two countries should work closely together to promote the focuses and priorities agreed by ASEAN, particularly: (i) to implement the roadmap for the ASEAN Community building, in line with the set progress and targets for all three pillar, notably the economic one, as well as programs on connectivity and development gap narrowing; (ii) to consolidate ASEAN unity to make full use of ASEAN’s leading role and voice in important issues related to regional peace and security, as well as to maintain its central role in the region; (iii to expand and deepen its cooperation with partners; and (iv) to intensify the promotion and improvement of  people’s awareness on building a truly people-centered ASEAN Community. At the same time, we should actively work out orientations for ASEAN in the post-2015 period, based on the continuity and promotion of the roadmap to realize the ASEAN Community, implementation of the Bali Concord III on the ASEAN Community in the global community of nations as well as reforms to enhance the effectiveness of ASEAN’s apparatus.

Given the challenges to the regional security, Viet Nam and Indonesia have also confirmed our resolve to promote the consensus voice of ASEAN in upholding principles of respect for international law, self-restraint, non-use of force, and settlement of disputes by peaceful means on the basis of international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). A united voice will give ASEAN the strength in negotiations with its partners, thus contributing to cementing the central role of ASEAN in the regional security architecture. Currently, Indonesia is actively upholding its role as the APEC Chair of 2013. Viet Nam appreciates and supports the APEC 2013 priorities and other initiatives made by Indonesia, particularly on regional economic connectivity, regional integration, and education. We believe that Indonesia’s success as the APEC Chair in 2013 will help enhance ASEAN’s position in economic cooperation with the whole region in general.

During my visit to Indonesia this time, the two sides will once again affirm the determination to further tighten cooperation, together with other ASEAN members to exert greater efforts to overcome differences and diversity towards building a strong and united community having a common voice and increasingly growing role and position in the region.

- How do you see the role of Indonesia on the issue of South China Sea?

Being a country having sovereignty claims in the region, Viet Nam always desire to settle the East Sea issues through peaceful means, negotiations and dialogues based on international law, particularly the 1982 UNCLOS and DOC. We always uphold the benefits and importance of the maintenance of maritime security and safety in the East Sea to contribute to peace, stability and development in the region as well as to consolidate to the central role of ASEAN in resolving regional security matters.

With that in mind, we appreciate Indonesia’s role and responsibility to actively support peace, maritime security and safety in the East Sea, the full observance of DOC, the move toward a COC. At the same time, Indonesia always plays an important role in maintaining regional dialogues; promoting ASEAN’s unity and contributing to the safeguarding of peace and stability in the East Sea. This has been clearly demonstrated throughout 2011 when Indonesia served as the ASEAN Chair. Particularly, Indonesia had a very crucial role in promoting ASEAN’s consensus in the making of the Statement on six-point principles on the South China Sea in July 2012.

The East Sea is the shared concern of many countries as it is closely related to peace and security of the entire region. Therefore, it is a must for ASEAN to have a role and voice in these issues. To that end, ASEAN should promote consensus based on principles stated in DOC, Statement on six-point principles of ASEAN on the South China Sea, High-level Declaration between ASEAN and China on the 10th anniversary of DOC, towards the early completion of COC.

Viet Nam expects that Indonesia will continue to make full use of its active role to contribute to peace, stability and development in the East Sea. We will work closely with Indonesia in all bilateral and multilateral forums for the common interests of both ASEAN and the whole region./.

Interview President Truong Tan Sang by ANTARA News of Indonesia 

-  What is the purpose of your visit to Indonesia?

I am leading a high-level delegation to the Republic of Indonesia from 27-28 June for a state visit at the invitation of H.E. President Susilo BambangYudhoyono.

Indonesia has always been a key partner of Viet Nam in ASEAN and the region. I rejoice at the excellent progress in our bilateral relations in various domains since the signing of the “Joint Statement on the Framework of Friendly and Comprehensive Partnership Entering the 21st Century” in June 2003. My visit this time to Indonesia, along with other visits of the two sides’ leadership, once again testifies to a fact that it is a consistent foreign policy of Viet Nam to value and wish to further deepen the traditional friendship and comprehensive cooperation with the Republic of Indonesia. The visit also offers a good opportunity for both sides to officially elevate our bilateral relations to a new height, matching the role, prestige and potential of each country as well as the excellent friendship nurtured by generations of the two nations.

In that connection, during my visit to the Republic of Indonesia, President Yudhoyono and I will be announcing the decision to officially upgrade bilateral relations to a strategic partnership. President Yudhoyono and I will be discussing the progress of bilateral cooperation in specific areas and major directions to expand and deepen bilateral relations for practical contribution to the prosperity of each nation, for peace, stability, cooperation in the region, as well as for an enhanced solidarity of ASEAN in the community building.

President Yudhoyono and I will also be discussing measures to further strengthen the tradition of close bilateral collaboration at regional and international forums, particularly at ASEAN and the United Nations as well as APEC and the Non-Aligned Movement. We will also exchange views on a number of regional and international issues of mutual concerns.

- How importance is Indonesia for Vietnam in general?

Viet Nam and Indonesia are close neighbours and members of ASEAN. The two countries share multiple similarities in history, culture as well as a tradition of struggling for national independence and the interest of developing countries. The Vietnamese people rejoice at the enormous achievements that Indonesian people have obtained in national construction and development as well as in preserving the identity of a multi-ethnic country with an age-old history and a rich and diverse culture.

Viet Nam appreciates the positive contributions of Indonesia for the past many years to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world. As a founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement and ASEAN, Indonesia has made many contributions to the two organizations, and put forth various initiatives to bring about peace and stability in the region, especially in the period when countries in the Indochina peninsula were still torn by wars. Today, Indonesia continues to play a key role in ASEAN, and is making positive contributions under multilateral frameworks such as the UN, APEC, and ASEM.

Viet Nam always places much significance on Indonesia and regards the latter as a traditional partner of friendship and effective cooperation, and also a country with growing role and profile in the Asia-Pacific and the world. Furthermore, Indonesia, as a member of G20-the group of the world’s twenty biggest economies, and Viet Nam share various similar viewpoints in issues related to the overall peace, security and development of the entire region. On the basis of the shared views and values within ASEAN, Viet Nam will be working closely with Indonesia and other members to build a stronger and more united Community.
On this occasion, I would like to convey my sincere wishes of friendship to the Indonesian people. I do hope that the friendship and comprehensive cooperation between the two peoples would continue to grow further.