He made the remarks while meeting with EUROPOL Deputy Director Oldrich Martin in The Hague of the Netherlands on March 13.
Thanh spoke highly of EUROPOL’s anti-crime coordination efforts, especially amid the complicated developments of security order in the world and the EU countries in particular.
He suggested building a bilateral cooperation mechanism in the sharing of crime information, threat appraisal, investigations into trans-national cases, and hunt for wanted offenders.
The guest asked EUROPOL to assist Vietnamese public security forces in capacity building and training.
Oldrich Martin affirmed that EUROPOL always values and wants to work with Vietnam’s public security forces and law enforcement agencies in particular.
He spoke highly of joint work between the Vietnamese Ministry and EUROPOL member countries in the fight against organised, trans-national, new, terror, drug, human trafficking and cyber crimes and hunt for runaway prisoners, adding that Vietnam is actively assisting European Union police.
He stated that EUROPOL will enhance cooperation with the ASEAN National Police (ASEANAPOL), including the Vietnamese public security forces.
Martin wished that the Vietnamese public security forces would continue partnering with European Union police and EUROPOL, serving as a bridge between the two regions’ police.
The EUROPOL leader expressed his hope that the Vietnamese Ministry and EUROPOL will discuss and sign a cooperation agreement in fields of shared interest, which was agreed by his guest.
During a working session with Deputy Director General of the EU Directorate General of Trade and chief of the negotiating delegation of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) Raffaele Mauro Petriccione earlier on March 10 in Brussels, the Vietnamese official said he believes that the EVFTA will speed up Vietnam-EU trade.
Vietnam is ready to serve as a bridge for EU investors to access the Southeast Asian markets, he said, adding that the Ministry of Public Security will actively link up with EU concerned authorities in crime prevention and control, contributing to hastening the EVFTA signing and implementation.
Mauro Petriccione, in reply, also expressed his wish for the prompt signing and ratification of EVFTA because EU agencies and member states are interested in the Vietnamese market.
He lauded achievements that Vietnam has made in economic development, human rights, and the fight against crimes, especially those involving in the environment, which are of the EU’s concern during the process of completing internal procedures for the EVFTA signing and adoption.
During a working session with the Vietnamese delegation in Brussels the same day, the European External Action Service (EEAS)’s Director of the Southeast Asian Affairs David Daly hailed Vietnam as one of the EU’s major partners in Southeast Asia and wished to continue further lifting bilateral ties to a new height.
Thanh highlighted that the EU has become a significant partner of Vietnam during the socio-economic development and helps the country cope with rising non-traditional security challenges in Asia.
The Vietnamese official also sought the EU’s support for the signing of a memorandum of understanding on anti-crime cooperation with his ministry and the sharing of experience in launching a scheme on sending public security officers to the United Nations peacekeeping mission.
The Vietnamese delegation from the Ministry of Public Security paid a working visit to EU agencies and EUROPOL from March 9-13.
