Remarks at A State Banquet in Honour of H.E. Nguyen Tan Dung, Prime Minister of The Socialist Republic of Vietnam

TRANSCRIPT
REMARKS BY
H.E. SUSILO BAMBANG YUDHOYONO
PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA
AT A STATE BANQUET IN HONOUR OF
H.E. NGUYEN TAN DUNG
PRIME MINISTER OF
THE SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIET NAM
STATE PALACE, 8 AUGUST 2007



Bismillahirrahmanirrahim,
Your Excellency Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and Madame,
Excellencies,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

I speak on behalf of the Government and people of Indonesia in expressing our warmest welcome to our special guest tonight, Your Excellency and Madame Nguyen Tan Dung to Jakarta. I have very much looked forward to this honour of welcoming you in our country.

Let me now take this opportunity to extend my sincere congratulations to Your Excellency on your re-election as Prime Minister of Viet Nam. I am sure that under your leadership Viet Nam will accelerate her already remarkable progress.

Your visit to Indonesia reaffirms the strong bonds of friendship between Indonesia and Viet Nam. Viet Nam and Indonesia are not only neighbors, we are natural partners. We both achieved our cherished independence through a fierce revolutionary struggle. We are proud of our history and heritage, we are independent-minded and outward-looking, we are both transforming, and we are taking our place confidently on the world stage. We are also peace-loving and committed to work for a world of peace, stability and equitable prosperity.

A strong vibrant relationship between Indonesia and Viet Nam therefore is in our respective national interests, and it is also good for regional stability. We must work together to seize the many opportunities that come our way. Moreover, we have to collaborate to confront new and grievous challenges like global warming, terrorism and other transnational crimes, the threat of epidemics and poverty.

I am delighted that Viet Nam and Indonesia signed in 2003 a Declaration of Friendly and Comprehensive Partnership Entering the 21st Century. The Declaration provides us a solid platform for the promotion of our bilateral cooperation in all areas. As a follow up to that Declaration, we have formulated a Plan of Action for its implementation.

We also reached a new height in our bilateral relations when we exchanged documents of ratification of our Agreement on the Delimitation of the Continental Shelf Boundary. This watershed in the history of our relations has proven that we can settle the challenging issue of our continental shelf boundary in a friendly way and in conformity with international law, particularly the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

We have had a very productive talk today, Prime Minister. I can confidently say that Your Excellency’s visit to Jakarta has taken our bilateral relations and cooperation to a higher level. I look forward to more and greater achievements in our collaboration in the future.

There is a wise Vietnamese saying that applies to our bilateral relations: “Nang lam thi nen.” I understand it to mean: “Work hard and you will succeed.” This seems to be obvious but what is obvious is often forgotten.

One nation that has kept faith in hard work is Viet Nam. That is the secret of your economic dynamism. In this regard, you set a shining example to the rest of the world.

Hence, we in Indonesia are proud to be your partners and collaborators in socio-economic development and in the maintenance of peace and stability in our region. We will work hard with you to ensure the success of our bilateral cooperation and our cooperation in the framework of ASEAN and other multilateral forums.

I look forward, Mr. Prime Minister, to months and years of working closely with you for the benefit of our people and for the ideals and principles that we live by.

Viet Nam and Indonesia are one in heart, there is no doubt about it. We are close to each other not because of geography but because we are bound together by shared ideals and a shared dream of peace and progress.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
May I now request every one to rise and join me in a toast to the health and success of His Excellency Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and to the progress and prosperity of our two countries?


*****

Bureau for Press and Media Affairs
Presidential Household