Vietnamese Ambassador to Ukraine Nguyen Minh Tri has asked the host’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) to actively work with relevant agencies to address the raid and arrest of Vietnamese citizens in Odessa.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Ukraine Nguyen Minh Tri (L) works with Ukrainian authorities on the issue (Photo: VNA)

The diplomat made the request at a working session with acting head of the MFA’s Asia-Pacific region department Leshynskaya G.V on February 9.

Tri said the incident occurred on the run-up to the traditional Lunar New Year (Tet), which has stirred concern amongst the Vietnamese community in Ukraine.

He noted that head of the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry’s Consular Department Ly Quoc Tuan twice met with Ukrainian Ambassador to Vietnam Aleksay Shovkovplias to ask the Ukrainian side to promptly settle the issue.

However, the host’s appropriate agencies have yet to make any replies regarding the case, he said.

The Vietnamese Ambassador suggested that the Ukrainian MFA work closely with its agencies to address the situation, in line with the host’s law, and return property to Vietnamese nationals, in order to maintain the sound traditional friendship between the two countries.

Leshynskaya shared the Vietnamese side’s concern and said that her MFA has worked on the issue with relevant agencies, but they have yet to receive any official information.

She promised to continue working with domestic agencies to reply to Vietnam as soon as possible.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) was reported to have raided a Vietnamese quarter called Lang Sen (Lotus Village) in Odessa city on January 28, arresting one Vietnamese national and collecting money from several Vietnamese families.

VNA