Minister of Public Security, Sen Lt Gen Tô Lâm met with UK Minister of State for Immigration Caroline Nokes and Minister of State for Asia and the Pacific Mark Field in London on Thursday.— Photo Trí Trung

LONDON — Minister of Public Security, Sen Lt Gen Tô Lâm met with UK Minister of State for Immigration Caroline Nokes and Minister of State for Asia and the Pacific Mark Field in London on Thursday, as part of his visit to the country at the invitation of UK Home Secretary Sajid Javid.

Receiving the Vietnamese guest, Nokes highlighted outcomes of the talks between representatives of the Vietnamese ministry and the UK Home Office a day earlier, particularly their signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on fighting human trafficking.

She said the MoU reflected efforts from both sides in the matter, which is currently a priority of the UK government.

For his part, Lâm said the two bodies had worked closely in crime prevention to safeguard security in both nations. 

He underscored the exchange of immigration information as one of the most effective co-operation aspects between the two bodies.

The two sides agreed to improve the exchange following and to collaborate in verifying information related to illegal entry and exit and in handling the repatriation of Vietnamese citizens.

They pledged to create favourable conditions for their citizens to enter their respective nations for employment, business, tourism and education, considering this a measure to deal with the illegal entry and exit problem.

At the meeting with Field, both Lâm and his host praised the fruitful growth of Việt Nam–UK strategic partnership since its elevation to that level in 2010.

They also mentioned increasing co-operation between the Vietnamese ministry and the UK Home Office in anti-human trafficking via frequent exchanges of delegations and information as well as their signing of the MoU.

Lâm said his ministry was looking forward to more assistance from the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office and law enforcement agencies in offering education, training and technical support for Vietnamese security personnel.

He asked the UK office to help expand engagement between the two countries’ law enforcement bodies. — VNS