Slovakia warned Vietnam against consequences in abduction case

The Slovak Foreign Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajčák warned his Vietnamese counterpart Pham Binh Minh that Slovakia was ready to take restrictive steps on the European Union's ground in reaction to the kidnapping of the Vietnamese citizen Trinh Xuan Thanh from Germany via Slovakia. The politicians met in New York alongside the 73rd United Nations General Assembly. Lajčák also added that any misleading on the Vietnamese part regarding this affair would have consequences on the countries' bilateral relations. Lajčák also stressed that the Slovak side requires immediately a credible explanation from the Vietnamese side, including the provision of evidence. Pham Binh Minh promised to interpret this stance to the leadership of his country. Former Petrovietnam Construction chief Trinh Xuan Thanh was abducted from Germany to his home country via Slovakia in July 2017. According to reports in the media, the German investigators suspect the Slovak Interior Ministry of cooperation in the kidnapping. The Interior Ministry, however, refutes the suspicions, stating that it did not take part in it knowingly.