Vietnam, South Africa enhance cooperation in law enforcement
A high-level delegation of the Ministry of Public Security (MoPS) led by its Deputy Minister Lieutenant General Le Quoc Hung paid a working trip to South Africa from February 24 to March 1 to promote bilateral cooperation between the two countries, especially in the field of law protection and enforcement.
The delegation had working sessions with Njabulo Nzuza, Deputy Minister of Home Affairs of South Africa; Cassel Mathale, Deputy Minister of Police; Nozuko Bam, Acting Director General of the State Security Agency and leaders of the Ministry of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment.
During the meetings, the Vietnamese Deputy Minister and leaders of the South African agencies highlighted the growing traditional friendship between the two countries. With Vietnam's support, South Africa became the first African country to establish a sectoral dialogue partnership with the Association of Southeast
The two countries have effectively implemented the bilateral cooperation mechanism of the Intergovernmental Partnership Forum.
Regarding law protection and enforcement, Vietnam and South Africa are members of many multilateral international treaties on crime prevention and combat such as the "United Nations Convention Against Corruption", the "United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organised Crime” and the “United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances”. The two countries' police forces are members of the International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol).
The Vietnamese MoPS asked the South African Ministry of Police to negotiate and sign a cooperation agreement on preventing the trafficking, illegal transport and use of wild animals and their products, as well as exchange crime information through Interpol and bilateral cooperation channels, focusing on drug and environmental crimes, and hunting for wanted individuals.
The two sides agreed to continue to coordinate with each other and with other countries in the region to prevent, suppress and punish all types of crimes based on respecting the laws of each country and international law, focusing on early prevention of risks, deploying preventive measures and strengthening law enforcement collaboration.
They also agreed to strengthen cooperation and mutual support at international forums, of which the two countries are members. Vietnam called on South Africa to back the stance of ASEAN and Vietnam on the East Sea issue and the peaceful resolution of disputes on the basis of international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982 (UNCLOS 1982); and to continue to support the Southeast Asian country to successfully fulfill its role as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council and run for the next terms.
