London (VNA) – Minister of Public Security General To Lam onNovember 1 met with UK Home Secretary Priti Patel in London, where the formeraffirmed that Vietnam always attaches importance to developing relations withthe UK.

At the meeting, Patel said Lam’s visit to the UK is of significance as itcontributes to further enhancing the bilateral ties to deal withnon-traditional issues, especially cross-border organised crime like economiccrime, illegal migration, human trafficking, money laundering and high-techcrime.

The UK will step up cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations(ASEAN) across spheres, and supports the grouping’s centrality in maintaining theregional architecture, she pledged.

The UK will also make more contributions to maintaining peace, stability,security and safety of aviation and navigation in the East Sea in line withinternational law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law ofthe Sea (1982 UNCLOS).

Minister Lam congratulated the UK on becoming ASEAN’s 11th dialoguepartner, saying Vietnam stands ready to work as a bridge promoting cooperationbetween the UK and the bloc, and back the UK to join the Comprehensive andProgressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific (CPTPP).

Vietnam always regards the UK as a leading priority in its foreign policy, forpeace, cooperation and development in the region and the world, the minister stressed. 

According to Lam, Vietnam highly values the UK’s agreements with the EU afterBrexit in different fields, the country’s Global Britain strategy, and itsannouncement of the Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development andForeign Policy by 2025 with a vision towards 2030.

He held that cooperation between the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security andthe UK Home Department has been deepened in such areas as the sharing ofinformation and data, personnel training and crime combat.

The minister suggested the two sides promote delegation exchange, informationsharing and collaboration in fighting illegal migration, and called on the UKto help Vietnam in accessing COVID-19 vaccines and treatment drugs, and createconditions for Vietnamese citizens to get visas, enter, study and work legallyin the UK.

Host and guest noted with pleasure new developments of the Vietnam-UKrelations, especially after the two countries signed the “Joint Declaration onthe Vietnam - UK Strategic Partnership: Forging Ahead for Another 10 Years,” inSeptember 2020, and the UK-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement on December 31, 2020.

At the end of the meeting, Patel said she plans to pay a working visit toVietnam in the first quarter of 2022 to discuss plans on bilateral cooperationbetween the two countries./.