Lithuanian, Vietnamese ministers discuss illegal migration, cooperation

  • 2019-06-22
  • BNS/TBT Staff

VILNIUS - Lithuanian Interior Minister Eimutis Misiunas met with Vietnamese Public security Minister To Lam in Vilnius on Friday and discussed the treaty, signed in January, on swifter deportation of illegal migrants to Vietnam and prospects for further cooperation.

"This agreement is very important for the cooperation of our services to identify Vietnamese citizens and facilitate the issuance of their ID documents, thus, ensuring swifter execution of procedures," Misiunas was quoted as saying in a statement released by the ministry.

The two ministers also discussed prospects for cooperation on fighting organized crimes and cyber crimes.

Border guards' figures show that 374 Vietnamese citizens were deported from Lithuanian in 2015, followed by 210 in 2016, 85 in 2017 and 122 last year.

12 Vietnamese people have been deported from Lithuania to Vietnam this year, and 23 were returned to Latvia, the country they entered Lithuanian from. Three Vietnamese citizens are now live at the Foreigners' Registration Center in Pabrade, Lithuania.

Lithuania signed the treaty with Vietnam to step up fight against illegal migration as more and more Vietnamese citizens would enter Lithuanian from Belarus or Latvia in attempt to cross the country and travel further to Western Europe.

Lithuania could deport Vietnamese citizen before the treaty as well but the process was much more complicated and could take several years in some cases.