Malaysian Deputy PM highlights cooperation potential with Vietnam

Kuala Lumpur (VNA) – Vietnam and Malaysia boast a huge potential for cooperation, Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi told outgoing Vietnamese Ambassador to Malaysia Pham Cao Phong.

During a reception for the Vietnamese diplomat in Kuala Lumpur on March 7, the host highlighted the flourishing bilateral ties in recent time, expressing his hope for stronger coordination between his country and Vietnam in fighting transnational crimes like human trafficking and piracy.

He said he looks forward to the first meeting of a joint working group on anti-transnational crime between Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security and Malaysia’s Ministry of Home Affairs, which aims to actualise the cooperation agreement on anti-transnational crime signed in 2015.

He stressed that the Malaysian Government is willing to coordinate with Vietnam in providing vocational training for Vietnamese labourers before they are sent to work in Malaysia, adding that his country always welcome skilled workers from Vietnam.

Regarding the fishermen issue, he affirmed the Malaysian Government will continue addressing issues related to Vietnamese fishermen, who were arrested for their illegal fishing in Malaysia’s territorial waters, in the spirit of humanity.

Malaysia acknowledges the possibility of fostering fishery cooperation between the two nations in the coming time, he said.

The host also praised Ambassador Phong’s contributions to boosting the Vietnam-Malaysia comprehensive cooperation, especially to the signing of the framework for bilateral strategic partnership in 2015.

For his part, Phong assured his host that Vietnam always treasures the reliable strategic partnership with Malaysia, expressing his belief that the bilateral relations will be stronger with both sides’ efforts.

He promised to continue making active contributions to pushing the relations between the two countries in the future.-VNA