The two countries also pledged closer collaboration on labour and visa matters during a working visit by Vietnam's Deputy Minister of Public Security, Senior Lieutenant General Le Quoc Hung, to the Czech Republic on October 11-12.

Working with representatives of the Czech Ministry of Justice on measures to enhance cooperation, Hung highlighted the positive development of relations between the two countries under the Strategic Partnership framework and existing agreements on crime prevention and control, the transfer of sentenced persons and the readmission of citizens, which provide a legal foundation for cooperation between law enforcement agencies.

The two sides have enhanced information exchange and verification concerning transnational crime, drug and human trafficking, money laundering and high-tech crime. They have also coordinated through Interpol channels and the Czech Police Liaison Officer’s Office in Vietnam to exchange information on Vietnamese nationals who committed crimes in the Czech Republic and are believed to be hiding in Vietnam.

Hung said around 100,000 Vietnamese nationals live, work, study and do business in the Czech Republic. The Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security had recently received no cases involving Vietnamese citizens illegally entering, leaving or migrating to the European nation, he noted, adding that citizens of both countries generally comply with the laws of their host countries.

To deepen cooperation, Hung proposed regular exchanges of delegations and experience in combating organised and transnational crime, drug-related offences, money laundering, high-tech crime and environmental crime. He also called for broader collaboration in digital transformation, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence applications in maintaining security and order, law enforcement training, criminal sentence enforcement and anti-corruption policymaking.

He urged both sides to effectively implement existing agreements, particularly the 2019 agreement on crime prevention and control and the 2017 agreement on the transfer of sentenced persons, and begin negotiations on an extradition treaty soon to meet practical needs.

Hung also proposed closer coordination in information verification, joint investigations and the apprehension of wanted persons, as well as considering a hotline to promptly address issues concerning the protection of senior leaders, representative offices and immigration management. He stressed the need to ensure the safety and security of each other’s citizens and representative offices and prevent any organisation or individual from using either country’s territory for activities directed against the other.

Czech Deputy Justice Minister Adam Šimice, who oversees European law and international cooperation, welcomed Vietnam’s attention to crime prevention and control, particularly anti-corruption efforts, stressing that corruption poses serious risks to national and global economies and requires enhanced international cooperation.

Šimice said the Czech Republic combines strict penalties for corruption with preventive measures, including public awareness campaigns and education. Its experience in developing and enforcing regulations on conflicts of interest, whistleblower protection and lobbying transparency could provide useful material for bilateral exchanges between the two countries.

He noted that existing agreements on police cooperation and crime-related information exchange provide a foundation for expanding collaboration. Regarding Vietnam’s proposal to send workers to the Czech Republic, he stressed that labour and immigration policies must address security risks, including forged documents and qualifications and recruitment scams run by organised criminal networks.

However, he reaffirmed his country’s commitment to supporting the Vietnamese community’s residence, employment and integration in line with local laws.

On this occasion, Vietnamese Ambassador to the Czech Republic Duong Hoai Nam called on the Czech Ministry of the Interior to advise the government on facilitating the recruitment of Vietnamese workers.

The diplomat also proposed visa exemptions for Vietnamese holders of official passports to facilitate delegation exchanges and cooperation between agencies. He expressed hope that this proposal could be considered during Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš’s expected visit to Vietnam, helping deliver tangible outcomes in bilateral relations./.

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