Minister of Public Security General Tô Lâm (left) meets Malaysian King Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah on Thursday. — VNA/VNS Photo Mạnh Tuấn

KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysian King Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah on Thursday suggested Việt Nam and Malaysia step up bilateral cooperation in various spheres, especially in the fight against transnational crime.

During a reception for Vietnamese Minister of Public Security General Tô Lâm, who paid a working visit to Malaysia on Wednesday and Thursday, King Abdullah noted with pleasure the fruitful development of the strategic partnership between the two countries, as well as relations between the Malaysian Ministry of Home Affairs and the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security.
Lâm stressed that Việt Nam always attaches importance to the strategic partnership with Malaysia which was set up in 2015 and has served as an important premise for the two countries to boost bilateral cooperation in various fields.
Việt Nam and Malaysia have increased the exchange of delegations at all levels, he said, citing an official visit to Việt Nam by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad in August 2019, which has contributed to the enhancement of bilateral ties.
In the realm of security and national defence, the two countries have also exchanged delegations and information in the fight against terrorism, cyber crime and transnational crime, Lâm said.
Lâm briefed King Abdullah on the outcomes of the talks between the two ministries during which they agreed on orientations to boost cooperation in ensuring security and order, and combating transnational crime, especially in 2020 when Việt Nam serves as the Chair of ASEAN and non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council while Malaysia hosts APEC meetings.
To foster collaboration between the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security and Malaysia’s law enforcement agencies, Lâm called on the King to facilitate the exchange of visits, with attention paid to consolidating mutual political trust.
The two sides will also join hands to ensure security and safety for each other’s citizens and businesses in their respective countries, and prevent organisations and individuals from using one country’s territory to sabotage the other.
During the earlier talks, Minister of Public Security Tô Lâm and Malaysian Minister of Home Affairs Muhyddin Yassin agreed to accelerate the organisation of the first meeting of the deputy ministerial-level joint working group on transnational crime combat within the framework of the above agreement.
At the same time, they will continue with their partnership in counter-terrorism through bilateral and multilateral channels like the International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL) and the ASEAN National Police (ASEANAPOL), while strengthening cooperation within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Community.
The two sides will also step up the sharing of information relating to cyber security and cyber and high-tech crime, and consider establishing a coordination mechanism in this regard.
Joint efforts will be made to guarantee maritime security and improve capacity of law enforcement forces of both countries.
On this occasion, Lâm invited Muhyddin to visit Việt Nam to attend the celebration of the 75th traditional day of the Vietnam People’s Police Force, and the 14th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime (AMMTC-14) to be hosted by the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security. — VNS