Angola and Vietnam Thursday in Luanda discussed the reinforcement of cooperation in the domain of public security and control of the more than 60,000 Vietnamese nationals currently living in the country.

This was during an audience between the secretary of State of Interior, Eugénio Laborinho, and the visiting Vietnamese deputy Foreign minister, Vu Hong Nam. Speaking to Angop at the end of the audience, the Angolan official said the meeting tackled matters related to the cooperation under the accords signed between the ministers of Interior of Angola and Public Security of Vietnam. According to Eugénio Laborinho, the meeting also discussed the legalisation of an association of Vietnamese citizens resident in Angola which will facilitate the contact between the embassy of the Asian country and the local authorities, aiming at fighting illegal immigration. He said the Interior Ministry is concerned about the crimes committed by Vietnamese citizens illegally based in Angolan territory, involving forging of documents, illegal trade and quarrels among themselves. According to Eugénio Laborinho, there are currently 60,000 Vietnamese registered with the Interior Ministry, which makes of the Asian nation the eighth in population density in Angola. In his turn, the Vietnamese deputy Foreign minister praised the work done by the Angolan authorities in the fight against crime committed by citizens from his country. He reaffirmed the intention of his country's authorities to have the public security relations reinforced, including the legalisation of the Vietnamese nationals currently based in Angola.