Police authorities from the Republic of Moldova and Austria will cooperate much more closely at intergovernmental level to fight organised and cross-border crime in South-East Europe.
The Cabinet approved today the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Moldova and the Austrian Federal Government on the implementation of the Convention on police cooperation in South-East Europe. This agreement is the first one concluded between the Republic of Moldova and a Member State of the Convention.
Minister Ana Revenco explained the importance of this agreement for the current security context of the Republic of Moldova: ‘In the current context, with a war at the border, the Republic of Moldova has committed to ensure regional security. The fight against threats targeting security and public order remains a priority for the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The agreement brings a significant contribution to the prevention, counteraction and fight against international cross-border crime, such as illegal migration, human and drug trafficking. It is a strong signal of confidence given to the Moldovan authorities by Austria and a progressive step in developing Moldovan-Austrian police cooperation, especially at the operational level.’
Moldovan-Austrian relations are increasingly strong on the security agenda. Austria supports the Republic of Moldova on various levels, through assistance projects or transfer of best practices, through fighting crime and ensuring respect for fundamental human rights. The cooperation of the national police with the authorities of the Austrian home affairs system means a clear increase of the security services provided to the citizens of our country.
The agreement provides for the institutionalisation of the cooperation mechanisms in priority areas, through the secondment of liaison officers, for joint investigative team activities; ensuring witness protection in cross-border cases, cross-border control and surveillance. Similar agreements are currently being negotiated with Romania and Serbia.
On the other hand, the operationalization of bilateral and multilateral partnerships with EU Member States brings the Republic of Moldova closer to the European quality of services towards which we are aiming as a candidate state for accession to the European Union.
