National Assembly Chairman Vương Đình Huệ greets the leaders and soldiers of the Border Guard High Command in Hà Nội on Thursday. — VNA/VNS Photo Nhan Sáng

HÀ NỘI — National Assembly Chairman Vương Đình Huệ extended Lunar New Year (Tết) greetings to officers and soldiers of the border guard force nationwide at a programme held at the Border Guard High Command in Hà Nội on Thursday.

The programme was connected online with the Border Guard Commands of 44 provinces and cities, and border guard stations on islands and in remote and mountainous areas across the country.

The top legislator valued significant contributions of the border guard force to the country’s important and comprehensive achievements in 2023, especially in firmly protecting territorial sovereignty, border, sea and island security; and closely coordinating with relevant sectors and forces, and local authorities to promptly and effectively handle issues related to border and territorial sovereignty and prevent violations in the country's territorial waters.

The force has always strictly maintained combat readiness, and closely coordinated with other forces to protect the safety of political events, the NA Chairman said.

He urged the force to continue to fully grasp and seriously implement the Party's directives and resolutions, the State's policies and laws on the task of ensuring national defence and security.

Chairman Huệ underlined the requirement for the border guard force to properly implement Treaties, Protocols, Agreements, and regulations related to territorial border, border management and protection, and border gates signed between Việt Nam and neighbouring countries.

The border guard force needs to deeply grasp the direction of Party General Secretary and Secretary of the Central Military Commission Nguyễn Phú Trọng that the border guard force must be a fulcrum in the border; focus on researching and perfecting methods and plans for organising national border management and protection in the new situation; and properly evaluate situations to effectively handle arising incidents.

National Assembly Chairman Vương Đình Huệ presents the Tết gifts to the Border Guard High Command in Hà Nội on Thursday. — VNA/VNS Photo Nhan Sáng

The top legislator also emphasised the request for building a clean, revolutionary, strong, regular, elite, and gradually modern border guard force to meet tasks and requirements in the new situation.

He asked the force to closely collaborate with relevant sectors and agencies to create breakthroughs in anti-corruption; and speed up the application of information technology, administrative reform and digital transformation to improve the efficiency of the management of immigration activities.

The NA Chairman requested the border guard force to participate in building a strong political base, and promote socio-ecnomic development, poverty reduction and new-style rural area building in border areas.

The border guard force was also demanded to enhance the legal education and popularisation work to raise public awareness of laws; and pay attention to building a strong and sustainable all-people border defence posture associated with a strong people's security posture, and a widespread all-people border protection force.

The force must constantly improve the effectiveness of national defence and border defence foreign affairs; accelerate twinning activities between the Vietnamese Border Guard and border protection forces of neighboring countries, contributing to building the shared land borderlines of peace, friendship, cooperation and sustainable development, he stressed. — VNS