Vietnamese Minister of Public Security Gen. Lương Tam Quang and Lao Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Public Security Gen. Vilay Lakhamphong signed the cooperation plan between the two ministries on Sunday. — VNA/VNS Photo Phạm Kiên |
HÀ NỘI — The Vietnamese and Lao public security ministries jointly held a review conference of their 2024 cooperation plan in Hà Nội on Sunday, with notable achievements seen in countering cross-border crimes.
Lao Minister of Public Security Gen. Vilay Lakhamphong, who also serves as Lao Deputy Prime Minister, was leading a high-level public security delegation to Việt Nam from January 11-13 at the invitation of Vietnamese public security minister Gen. Lương Tam Quang.
Amid complex global and regional situations in the past year which have significantly impacted socio-economic development and security in the two countries, the public security forces of Việt Nam and Laos have collaborated to combat transnational drug crimes, human trafficking, and improve mutual legal assistance on criminal justice.
They also achieved remarkable progress in jointly preventing illegal immigration, high-tech crimes and online fraud.
These results have made an important contribution to each country’s national building and development efforts, as well as to preserving and nurturing the special friendship, solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries.
Vietnamese and Lao public security forces also successfully held the 14th Việt Nam-Laos Security Cooperation Conference and a bilateral ministerial conference to prevent and control drugs and crimes, as well as to maintain social order and safety.
At the meeting on Sunday, Vietnamese and Lao public security ministries signed their cooperation plan for 2025, which aligns with the common understanding agreed upon by the leaders of the two Parties and the States during the visit of Việt Nam’s Party General Secretary (then President) Tô Lâm to Laos in July 2024.
The two sides will strengthen security cooperation, ensuring mutual support, protecting each other’s legitimate interests, and jointly addressing increasingly diverse and complex security challenges.
In addition, the public security forces of the two countries will maintain a mechanism for information exchanges and updates at different levels. They will also continue to communicate for intelligence on hostile forces and individuals that aim to undermine national security, social order and safety or plot ‘peaceful evolution’ in Việt Nam and Laos.
They will also work together to ensure security for high-level visits of the two countries’ leaders, as well as safety of citizens of each country residing in the other.
Other areas of cooperation include exchanges of information and capture of fugitives hiding in each other’s territory; and collaboration with relevant departments to implement the bilateral agreement on combating human trafficking and protecting trafficking victims. — VNS