Vietnam signs ASEAN Extradition Treaty

On the morning of November 14, Minister Luong Tam Quang attended the opening session of the 13th ASEAN Law Ministers Meeting (ALAWMM 13).

Filipino President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. attended and delivered welcoming remarks at the event.

Later on the same day, Minister Luong Tam Quang joined Justice Ministers of ASEAN member states in signing the ASEAN Extradition Treaty.

Vietnamese Minister of Justice Nguyen Hai Ninh also attended the ceremony.

The treaty is the result of 14 rounds of negotiation, during which ASEAN member states worked to harmonize their respective legal frameworks on extradition.

The signing of the document establishes a clear legal foundation for member countries to cooperate in locating, arresting and extraditing criminals in a timely, effective and transparent manner.

It also reinforces ASEAN’s credibility as a cohesive bloc capable of addressing security and judicial challenges, thereby strengthening the confidence of international partners and the global community in the association.

In the afternoon, Minister Luong Tam Quang held bilateral talks with Filipino National Security Adviser Eduardo Manahan Año.

During the talks, the two sides discussed regional and global developments affecting national security in each country, and reviewed bilateral cooperation in security and law enforcement.

On that basis, the Vietnamese Minister of Public Security and the Filipino National Security Adviser agreed to enhance exchanges of delegations at all levels, strengthen information-sharing and professional cooperation to address both traditional and non-traditional security challenges, and coordinate security measures for high-level delegations visiting each other’s country.

They also agreed to effectively implement existing cooperation documents and promote joint research and application of scientific and technological solutions to the investigation of transnational crimes, particularly the use of artificial intelligence (AI), big data analytics and other advanced technologies.

Furthermore, the two sides will continue to support each other in training and capacity-building of law enforcement personnel.

As part of the working trip, Minister Luong Tam Quang also visited the Embassy of Vietnam in the Philippines.