Minister To Lam pays official visit to Cuba

• Minister To Lam receives incoming Cuban Ambassador
• Minister To Lam works with Hanoi’s Municipal Police and Fire Police

At the talks in Havana on November 27 (local time), Cuban Minister of Interior Gandrailla Bermejo highly appreciated and welcomed the visit by Minister To Lam and the high-raking delegation of the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security. The Cuban Minister of Interior also highly appreciated the great socio-economic, security and defense achievements that the Vietnamese people have gained in the cause of national renewal, development and defense.

For his part, Minister To Lam expressed his pleasure on revisiting the beautiful country of Cuba. On behalf of the high-raking delegation of the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security, Minister To Lam thanked Minister Gandrailla Bermejo and leaders of the Cuban Ministry of Interior for the warm reception.

Minister To Lam stressed that, in recent years, the traditional good and loyal friendship between the two Parties, two States and the peoples of the two countries has been strengthened and developed. He said that the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security highly appreciates the great achievements of the Cuban people in the cause of building and developing the country, especially the initial achievements of the "updating" process of the Cuba's socio-economic model adopted in the 6th National Congress (April 2011) and the 7th National Congress (April 2016) and always supports the heroic struggle of the Cuban people.

The Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security would like to show empathy with the Cuban Party, State and people on the losses caused by Hurricane Irma in September.

At the talks, the two sides affirmed that, since the establishment of the cooperative ties between the two Ministries, under the leadership and direction of the two Parties, the two States, the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security and Cuban Ministry of Interior have promoted bilateral cooperation sustainably and effectively. The two sides have signed many cooperation deals in specific fields such as security, science and technology.

On the basis of the bilateral agreements, the cooperation between the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of the Interior of Cuba continued to be strengthened and expanded in all fields and achieved practical results.

Regarding the orientations for bilateral cooperation in the coming time, the two sides agreed to continue to strengthen cooperation in the field of professional techniques; intensify cooperation in the fight against organized crime, transnational crimes, hi-tech crime, terrorism, human trafficking, trade- and tourism-related-crimes, crimes of new types and non-traditional security threats.

In order to create a legal corridor for these cooperation activities, the two sides will negotiate to sign Extradition Treaty, Agreement on the transfer of sentenced persons and the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty in Criminal Matters.

The two sides would also promote cooperation in the field of personnel training, foreign languages; pay attention to mutual consultations, exchange of information; coordinate and support each other at multilateral forums, especially forums on counter-terrorism and illegal migration; and assist each other in the signing, accession and implementation of international treaties of which both sides are members.

At the talks, Minister To Lam and Minister Cesar Gandarilla Bermejo also signed a cooperation agreement between the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security and the Cuban Interior Ministry.