Vietnam and Indonesia have agreed to create a more attractive and favourable environment for cooperation in trade and investment cooperation as well as in agro-forestry and fisheries, oil and gas, energy, healthcare, culture, tourism, education-training, security and defence, environmental protection. The two sides have also pledged to promote bilateral cooperation in the fight against terrorism, trans-national crimes, epidemics and natural disasters.

The consensus was reached during Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai’s official friendship visit to Indonesia on February 22 at the invitation of Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Mr Khai reiterated that Vietnam has always attached great importance to its co-operative ties with Indonesia, which are developing well in the fields of politics, economics, trade, investment, culture, education and training.

He further said that the joint declaration would formulate strategic partnership relations between the two countries, fostering long-term stability in the region.

For his part, Vice President Muhammad spoke highly of Vietnam's achievements in national construction and development, which have helped the country earn an ever-increasing status in the regional arena. He also suggested that Vietnam and Indonesia should work to help their youths better understand their long-standing relations so as to strengthen their ties in the future.

President Yudhoyono highlighted the significance of the visit in promoting Indonesia-Vietnam strategic comprehensive partnership, saying the visit mark a new step of development in the two countries' traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation, especially on the occasion of the 50^th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties (December 30 1955).

PM Khai said he believes that his first visit to Indonesia as the incumbent Prime Minister of Vietnam would markedly contribute to further expanding the two countries' ties.

The two sides discussed specific measures to broaden and strengthen the traditional friendship and comprehensive co-operation and exchanged views on international and regional issues of mutual concern.

They expressed pleasure at the fine development of the Vietnam-Indonesia relationship over the past five decades and emphasised the need to further enhance multifaceted, long-term and stable cooperative ties between the two countries in the principle of respecting the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of each other.

The two leaders agreed on assigning the Ministries of Foreign Affairs to quickly devise the 2006-2010 plan of action to lay a firm foundation for the two countries to effectively implement their Joint Declaration.

PM Khai and Indonesian President were unanimous in holding the fourth session of the Joint Committee for Economic and Trade Co-operation in Hanoi. They also applauded the signing of an agreement on tourism cooperation between the Vietnam Administration of Tourism and the Indonesian Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

They spoke highly of the co-ordination between the two countries at international and regional forums and reaffirmed their commitments to promoting the close partnership between the two countries in boosting peace, stability, and economic development in the region and the world. They also reiterated their commitments to supporting the establishment of the ASEAN community, with security-political cooperation, economic cooperation and cultural-social co-operation being the three major factors for its development.

The Indonesian President said he believes that the 2006 APEC Summit in Vietnam will help boost co-operation among APEC member economies, making the Asia-Pacific a dynamic community for prosperity and sustainable development.

The two leaders highlighted the close cooperation between the two countries through their support for Indonesia to become a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council in the 2007-2008 term and for Vietnam in the 2008-2009 term.

In the evening, President Yudhoyono hosted a banquet in honour of PM Khai and his entourage.

The same day, at a meeting with Indonesian Speaker of Indonesian House of Representatives Agung Laksono, PM Khai affirmed that Vietnam has always attached importance to developing traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation with Indonesia.

The Speaker invited a Vietnamese National Assembly delegation to attend the upcoming the Asian-African parliamentary conference in Indonesia.