Vietnam and Portugal seeking to expand security cooperation
A high-ranking delegation of the Ministry of Public Security led by Minister General To Lam visited the Republic of Portugal from July 19-20, at the invitation of the Minister of the Interior of Portugal José Luís Carneiro.
At a meeting with Interior Minister Jose Luis Carneiro, Minister To Lam underscored, since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1975, Vietnam and Portugal have maintained friendly traditional relations and cooperation.
The two countries regularly exchange high-level delegations and maintained bilateral contacts, especially the visit to Portugal by Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan in November 2021, the meeting between Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Prime Minister Antonio Costa at the ASEAN-EU Summit in January 2023 and the visit to Vietnam by Portuguese Foreign Minister Joao Gomes Cravinho in January 2023.
The two countries also coordinated effectively at international forums and multilateral frameworks such as the United Nations, UNESCO, ASEAN - EU, ASEM.
Pointing out rapid and complicated developments in the world, Minister To Lam said that although peace, cooperation and development are still the main trends, there are potential risks of instability, particularly disputes over territorial sovereignty, religious and ethnic conflicts, terrorism and transnational crimes, non-traditional security challenges, and threats to national security.
The Vietnamese Minister of Public Security suggested that the two sides should enhance cooperation in ensuring security, preventing and fighting crimes as it is expected that the two countries will expand cooperation in the coming time, especially in the fields of tourism, people-to-people exchange, trade and investment.
* Vietnamese Ambassador to France and Portugal Dinh Toan Thang received the delegation and joined the delegation in meetings with local authorities.
