Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang met with Speaker of the Indonesian House of Representatives Setya Novanto in Hanoi on March 30, urging the two countries to effectively carry out reached agreements, especially economic pacts, to bolster their strategic partnership.

The State leader noted relations between Vietnam and Indonesia, which share a time-honoured friendship and historical and cultural similarities, are flourishing across sectors.

Valuing Indonesia’s status in the region and the world, President Truong Tan Sang said he hopes the country will continue working towards the common interest of the ASEAN community as well as regional peace, stability, and development.

Vietnam is willing to join Indonesia in promoting negotiations for sea demarcation, he noted, adding that the countries’ legislatures and peoples should reinforce cooperation to contribute to the formation of the ASEAN Community.

Speaker Setya Novanto, who is in Vietnam to attend the 132 nd Assembly of the Inter-parliamentary Union, said the nations will celebrate the 60 th anniversary of their diplomatic ties in 2015, presenting an opportunity for them to step up collaboration, especially maritime connections under Indonesia’s Maritime Axis initiative which aims to link ports and oceans.

They should speed up negotiations to soon demarcate exclusive economic zones to benefit their fishermen, he said, expressing his hope that the countries would coordinate further at multilateral forums.

On this occasion, Setya Novanto delivered Indonesian President Joko Widodo’s invitation to visit the country to President Truong Tan Sang.-VNA