Citizen protection work bolstered amid COVID-19: Deputy FM

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and relevant ministries and localities arranged over 300 flights in 2020 to bring nearly 85,000 citizens home from 59 countries and territories, according to Deputy Minister To Anh Dung.
Citizen protection work bolstered amid COVID-19: Deputy FM ảnh 1Deputy Foreign Minister To Anh Dung.(Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and relevant ministries andlocalities arranged over 300 flights in 2020 to bring nearly 85,000 citizenshome from 59 countries and territories, according to Deputy Minister To AnhDung.

In an article aboutcitizen protection tasks over the recent past, Dung said efforts in the field,against the backdrop of the unprecedented crisis caused by the pandemic, havebeen made in a constant and continuous manner regardless of time and distance,despite limited domestic resources and stringent requirements on COVID-19prevention and control.

With the spirit of“Leaving no one behind” as stated by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc,Vietnamese authorities and representative offices abroad have closely joinedhands with domestic and foreign airlines to organise safe repatriation flights,in keeping with the country’s quarantine capacity, he said.

The repatriation ofstranded citizens will continue in the coming time, in an effort to best meetthe citizens’ rightful wishes, based on the developments of the pandemic athome and abroad and in tandem with preventive measures, as well as domesticquarantine capacity.

For those who remainabroad, the Foreign Ministry and representative offices abroad have maintainedclose cooperation with local agencies to ensure the best conditions for their dailyactivities, health care, learning and jobs.

The number of overseasVietnamese has been on the rise in the recent past. Statistics of the Consular Departmentat the MOFA showed that the number of protected citizens rose to 21,384 lastyear from just 8,024 in 2017.

In addition, thenumber of calls made by Vietnamese citizens seeking consultations on citizenprotection via the hotline on the field has surged ten-fold since its launch in2016.

Citizen protectionwork has strengthened overseas Vietnamese’s trust in policies of the Party andState, thereby putting their mind at ease and enhancing their patriotism, Dungaffirmed./.
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