HANOI, Nov. 18 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam's foreign ministry spokesman Le Dung on Tuesday called on the Czech government to reconsider its recent decision to temporarily suspend granting entry visas to Vietnamese citizens until the end of this year, Vietnam News Agency reported on Tuesday.

    Czech Embassy in Hanoi temporarily stopped issuing visas to Vietnamese applicants from the beginning of this week.

    The decision has been made due to worries about the increase of organized crime related to the Vietnamese community in the Czech Republic, and alleged underworld practices accompanying visa procedure, the Czech Television reported on Sunday, citing an unnamed government source.

    But Dung said the action was inappropriate to agreements previously reached by two countries and running counter to the traditional friendship and growing cooperation between the two countries.

    He said the traditional friendship and cooperation enjoyed by Vietnam and the Czech Republic have experienced positive developments in recent years, reflected in the outcomes of visits made by the leaders of the two countries, and enhanced by people and localities at all levels.

    Czech Republic is a preferred destination for Vietnamese labors. There is a large Vietnamese community working in Czech Republic.

    According to the Czech Television, the Czech government would send an official of its Immigration Agency to Vietnam to work with the Czech Embassy there.

    Dung said Vietnam is ready to cooperate with the relevant Czech agencies in order to arrive at a satisfactory settlement to the matter, thus facilitating travel and links between the two nations.