Kuala Lumpur (VNA) – MalaysianKing Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah on February 13 suggested Vietnam and Malaysiastep up bilateral cooperation in various spheres, especially in the fightagainst transnational crime.

During a reception for VietnameseMinister of Public Security General To Lam, who paid a working visit toMalaysia from February 12-13, King Abdullah noted with pleasure the fruitfuldevelopment of the strategic partnership between the two countries, as well as relationsbetween the Malaysian Ministry of Home Affairs and the Vietnamese Ministry ofPublic Security.

For his part, Lam stressed that Vietnamalways attaches importance to the strategic partnership with Malaysia which wasset up in 2015 and has served as an important premise for the two countries toboost bilateral cooperation in various fields.

The minister expressed his hope that theVietnam-Malaysia strategic partnership would develop more comprehensively,practically and effectively in the time ahead.

Over the past years, Vietnam andMalaysia have increased the exchange of delegation at all levels, he said,citing an official visit to Vietnam by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad inAugust 2019, which has contributed to the enhancement of bilateral ties.

In the realm of security and nationaldefence, the two countries have also exchanged delegations and information inthe fight against terrorism, and cyber crime and transnational crime, Lam said.

The agreement on cooperation in tacklingtransnational crime signed in 2015 has created a legal foundation for the twocountries to enhance their collaboration in ensuring national security, andsocial order and safety, he added.

Lam briefed King Abdullah on the outcomesof the talks between the two ministries during which they agreed onorientations to boost cooperation in ensuring security and order, and combatingtransnational crime, especially in 2020 when Vietnam serves as the Chair ofASEAN and non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council whileMalaysia hosts APEC meetings.

To foster collaboration between theVietnamese Ministry of Public Security and Malaysia’s law enforcement agencies,Lam called on the King to facilitate the exchange of visits, with attentionpaid to consolidating mutual political trust.

The two sides will also join hands toensure security and safety for each other’s citizens and businesses in theirrespective countries, and prevent organisations and individuals from using onecountry’s territory to sabotage the other.

During the earlier talks, Minister ofPublic Security To Lam and Malaysian Minister of Home Affairs Muhyddin Yassinagreed to accelerate the organisation of the first meeting of the deputy ministerial-leveljoint working group on transnational crime combat within the framework of theabove-said agreement.

At the same time, they will continuewith their partnership in counter-terrorism through bilateral and multilateralchannels like the International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL) and theASEAN National Police (ASEANAPOL), while strengthening cooperation within theAssociation of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Community.

The two sides will also step up thesharing of information relating to cyber security and cyber and high-techcrime, and consider establishing a coordination mechanism in this regard.

Joint efforts will be made to guaranteemaritime security and improve capacity of law enforcement forces of both countries.

On this occasion, Lam invited Muhyddinto visit Vietnam to attend the celebration of the 75th traditionalday of the Vietnam People’s Police Force, and the 14th ASEANMinisterial Meeting on Transnational Crime (AMMTC-14) to be hosted by theVietnamese Ministry of Public Security./.