The freshly-signed cooperation agreement between Vietnam and the
International Organisation for Migration (IOM) will usher in a new
chapter in bilateral relations, said the Prime Minister.
PM Nguyen Tan Dung made the remark while receiving the IOM Director
General, William Lacy Swing, in the capital city of Hanoi on August
19.
The PM praised the positive cooperation and
assistance the IOM has extended to Vietnam in recent years, saying
that Vietnam always considers the IOM a dynamic partner when dealing
with migration-related issues.
He told his guest
that approximately 3.5 million overseas Vietnamese are residing in more
than 100 countries and territories throughout the world, and that many
of them had been separated from their families due to war but now have
legitimate aspirations to be reunited with their families.
PM Dung requested the IOM to help separated Vietnamese people be able
to return to their homeland, or other countries for family reunions,
stressing that these are extremely humanitarian actions.
The leader proposed the IOM help Vietnam to boost its labour exports,
citing the fact that just over half a million Vietnamese workers have
gone overseas, a small number compared with the nation’s population of
87 million and abundant young workforce.
The move
would be a practical step to balance labour demands and bring a benefit
to both Vietnam and other nations, he added.
PM
Dung also called on the IOM to work closer with Vietnam in the fight
against human trafficking and back the country’s efforts to implement
the “One United Nations” Initiative.
Lacy Swing said that the IOM will do its utmost to put the Vietnamese PM’s proposals into action.
The added that the IOM is also willing to provide Vietnam with its new
migration service when the country needs it, and work with the country
to evacuate Vietnamese people from areas affected by conflicts and
natural disasters across the globe./.
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