DHAKA : Bangladesh and Vietnam have reaffirmed their commitment to deepening bilateral security cooperation, with a strong focus on combating human trafficking, irregular migration and transnational crime, during a high-level bilateral meeting held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

The meeting, held on July 7 in a cordial atmosphere, was led by Bangladesh Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed and Vietnam's Deputy Minister of Public Security, Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Van Long, according to a Home Ministry press release.

The two sides agreed to further strengthen bilateral relations through enhanced cooperation in security, law enforcement, trade, investment and connectivity, while intensifying joint efforts to curb human trafficking and illegal migration.

Congratulating Vietnam on the successful completion of the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the formation of its new leadership, Salahuddin Ahmed said the Bangladesh government, led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, is committed to elevating relations with Vietnam across bilateral, regional and multilateral platforms.

Recalling the establishment of diplomatic relations on February 11, 1973, the home minister described Vietnam as a trusted partner and welcomed the steady growth in bilateral trade, investment, connectivity and people-to-people exchanges in recent years.

A key focus of the talks was the visa-related difficulties faced by Bangladeshi nationals in Vietnam and the repatriation of irregular migrants. 

Salahuddin urged Hanoi to simplify visa procedures for genuine Bangladeshi tourists, business travellers, skilled professionals and family visa applicants, while presenting specific proposals to facilitate the return of undocumented Bangladeshi nationals.

Emphasising the growing threat of cross-border crime, he called for stronger institutional collaboration between the law enforcement agencies of the two countries to tackle human trafficking, drug smuggling and other transnational criminal networks.

Highlighting the growing economic partnership, the home minister noted that bilateral trade has already surpassed US$1 billion and expressed confidence that the proposed Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) would help double trade volume in the near future. 

He thanked Vietnam for approving the import of Bangladeshi potatoes and requested greater market access for internationally certified Bangladeshi pharmaceutical products.

The minister also invited Vietnamese businesses to invest in Bangladesh, citing the country's attractive investment climate, and sought Vietnam's strong backing for Bangladesh's bid to become an ASEAN Sectoral Dialogue Partner and a member of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).

The Vietnamese delegation assured that Bangladesh's proposals would receive serious consideration and expressed optimism that the longstanding friendship and expanding partnership between the two countries would continue to reach new heights.