VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi discussed cooperation in maritime affairs and fisheries with her Vietnamese counterpart, Pham Bihn Mihn, during the third joint commission meeting between the two countries.

The third Indonesia-Vietnam joint commission meeting was held in Hanoi, Vietnam, the Indonesian Foreign Ministry said in a press statement released on Tuesday (17/4).

At the meeting, Marsudi stressed that illegal, unreported, and undocumented (IUU) fishing posed a serious threat to the food security of a country.

For its part, she called on the Vietnamese government to step up cooperation to eradicate IUU fishing while, at the same time, encouraging sustainable fishery management.

In response, the Vietnamese government vowed to respond immediately to the "Draft Joint Communique on IUU Fishing" proposed by Indonesia.

During the meeting, the two foreign ministers also discussed the delineation of Indonesia-Vietnam Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), one of the issues that the two countries are still negotiating.

As of November 2017, the two countries have held 10 technical meetings to delineate the EEZ in accordance with the directives from the two countries` leaders.

Both the Indonesian and Vietnamese foreign ministers reiterated their call for the two countries to speed up negotiations.

"The finalization of EEZ is crucial, because it will bring about benefits and certainty for the two countries," Marsudi asserted.

The two ministers also exchanged views on a number of issues and developments in the ASEAN region. They further reiterated their commitment to always strengthen peace and stability in the ASEAN region. (antara)