Armenia and Eurojust to co-operate in fighting crime
YEREVAN, 23 September. /ARKA/. Armenia and Eurojust, the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation, signed a working agreement today in Yerevan.
The document was signed by Armenian Justice Minister Grigor Minasyan, Prosecutor General Anna Vardapetyan and Eurojust President Ladislav Hamran.
‘The fight against transnational crime is brought to a new level, which means co-operation with relevant leading structures,’ Minasyan said.
Vardapetyan in turn said that the Prosecutor General's Office is consistent in expanding ways of interaction with foreign partners, a vivid example of which is the signing of the agreement, as well as effective and partnership work with Eurojust over the past three years in combating money laundering, drug trafficking and corruption offences.
The Prosecutor General said that during this period, it was possible to familiarise with the Eurojust tools and to make sure of their efficiency.
She expressed confidence that the working agreement signed today will create wider opportunities for the law-enforcement bodies of Armenia in the application of that toolkit.
The Head of Eurojust informed that Armenia will join 39 member states and can send a relevant specialist to the Eurojust headquarters in The Hague.
‘This opens a completely new direction in terms of judicial-legal co-operation. You will have access to an ultra-modern case management system, an international database on criminal evidence, a joint skills management platform. There will be a new communication platform between prosecutors,’ Hamran said, adding that this is a historic moment on Armenia's path to the EU.
The European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation (Eurojust) is a unique centre based in The Hague, Netherlands, where national judicial authorities work closely together to combat serious organised cross-border crime.
Eurojust's role is to make Europe a safer place by coordinating the work of national authorities - both EU Member States and third states - in the investigation and prosecution of transnational crime.
Eurojust has created a cohesive international network that gives EU prosecutors access to more than 70 jurisdictions around the world. The agency has co-operation agreements with most non-EU countries, some of which have sent liaison prosecutors to Eurojust to work on cases with their counterparts in the Collegium.
Eurojust also works closely with other EU agencies and partners that support various stages of the criminal justice network, including law enforcement and anti-fraud authorities. -0-
