Vietnamese Minister of Public Security To Lam co-chairs the talks

At the meeting, Minister Lam underlined that despite complicated and unpredictable situations in the region and the world, together with the COVID-19 pandemic, the Vietnam-Cambodia cooperation has remained stable and received due attention from high-ranking leaders.

Consultations and information exchanges via diplomatic channels have been maintained and security-national defence cooperation strengthened, he said.

The collaboration between Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security and Cambodia’s Ministry of Interior has also been consolidated and stepped up over the time. The two sides have maintained liaison channels and adopted flexible forms for their joint work.

The Vietnamese minister pointed out that in the first six months of 2021, the two sides worked together to roll out plans in ensuring security and safety for major political events of their respective countries and cooperating in the fight against COVID-19.

They also took the initiative in building collaboration programmes to crack down on criminals, especially those who took advantage of telecom and social networks to steal assets, as well as human traffickers, smugglers and wanted criminals.

They also bolstered exchanges of delegations and training courses for officials, among others.

Regarding future cooperation orientations, the two ministers affirmed that Vietnam and Cambodia will continue to promote the relations of “good neighbourliness, traditional friendship, and comprehensive, sustainable and long-term cooperation”, and support each other in international and ASEAN forums.

They also pledged to further closely work together in the fight against COVID-19 and border control, to prevent illegal migrants from posing risks of outbreaks in the two nations.

In his closing remarks, Lam announced cooperation orientations between the two ministries in the coming time, in which they will join hands in ensuring security, safety and social order, particularly for important political events in their respective countries and the border areas.

High-ranking leaders of the two ministries will maintain contact through numerous forms, including a hotline to inform each other on security and order situation, and promptly handle arising incidents, thus preventing hostile forces from making use of such incidents to distort and damage the countries’ traditional relations.

The ministries will work to guarantee security and safety for visits of high-ranking officials and create optimal conditions for each other's citizens to legally stay and work in the other country.

The ministries will continue to share information in entry and exit in border regions and in activities of transnational criminals, and coordinate in investigations of criminals linked to the other country.

They consented to tackle illegal gambling under their jurisdiction and further implement international treaties and agreements of which the countries are signatories, support each other at international and regional forums in crime fighting and bolster training for officials.

At the end of the talks, the two ministers signed a document supplementing the cooperation plans between their ministries./.

Source: VNA