Hanoi (VNA) – Deputy Prime Minister Truong HoaBinh stressed the need for all countries to make joint efforts in the fightagainst drug crime while receiving heads of delegations attending a ministerialmeeting in Hanoi on September 10.

The ministerial meeting on enhancing theeffectiveness of cooperation in fighting transnational drug crime was held inHanoi the same day at the initiative of the Vietnamese Ministry of PublicSecurity. It attracted nearly 200 delegates from Cambodia, Laos, China,Thailand, Myanmar, the Philippines, Vietnam, the US’ Drug EnforcementAdministration (DEA), the Australian Federal Police (AFP), and the RegionalOffice of Southeast Asia and the Pacific of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime(UNODC).

At the reception, Binh said drug production andtrafficking remain complex and are growing at an alarming rate around theworld. Drug crime has negatively affected the lives of communities and thedevelopment of all nations.

Facing that fact, regional countries havecarried out a number of cooperation activities to control the drug situation,and they have obtained encouraging outcomes, the Deputy PM noted.

He emphasised that together with othercountries, the Vietnamese Government has always made efforts to implementcomprehensive and balanced measures in drug prevention and control, withattention paid to reducing both drug supply and demand.

In 2019, Vietnam’s anti-drug forces have coordinatedclosely with foreign peers to seized several tonnes of drugs, most of whichwere destined for other countries.

Binh noted Vietnam and other ASEAN countrieshave pledged to eradicate the scourge of drugs for the sake of a drug-freeASEAN. To realise that commitment, they have implemented many cooperationinitiatives effectively such as the ASEAN ministers and senior officials’meetings on drug matters, the ASEAN centre for drug crime information, theASEAN working group on fighting drug trafficking by air and sea, and the ASEANplan on drug control in the Golden Triangle area.

The Deputy PM highlighted that drug crime is aglobal issue that no single country can resolve on its own, but all countriesneed to join hands in the combat.

Vietnam highly values the DEA, AFP and UNODC’ssupport for the countries to carry out cooperation activities in the work inthe region, he said, calling for all nations and international organisations topay more attention to and continue supporting the fight against drugs.

Through the ministerial meeting, the VietnameseGovernment wants to affirm its continued enhancement of cooperation withregional and partner countries and international organisations in the fightagainst drugs, thereby joining the international community’s efforts to addressthis global issue, Binh added.-VNA