ArmInfo. Armenia and the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation will cooperate in the legal field. The RA National Assembly Commission on Defense and Security Issues at its meeting on April 7 issued a positive conclusion on two documents presented by the RA government - an agreement on interaction between the RA Ministry of Internal Affairs and the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol) and a memorandum of understanding between the RA Ministry of Internal Affairs and Europol on the creation secure communication channel.
As Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Armenia Arpine Sargsyan noted in her speech, the documents were signed by the European side on June 27, 2023, and by the Armenian side, taking into account the maintenance of internal state procedures, on February 5, 2024.
The directions of the first document are aimed at organizing a joint fight against cross-border crime, in particular, at combating drug trafficking, preventing illegal migration, cybercrime, and restoring illegally exported assets. At the same time, the Ministry of Internal Affairs acts in this agreement as a single law enforcement agency that will have to coordinate the work to implement the terms of the agreement. The parties undertake to cooperate by exchanging information. Sargsyan noted that the parties take responsibility to avoid any steps directed against the provisions of the agreement until the main document is developed and ratified. As part of the agreement, it is planned to establish a permanent office in the Netherlands, through which constant communication with Europol will be maintained. The process of equipping it will be carried out at the expense of EU funds. A similar Europol office will operate in Yerevan. This will make it possible to carry out more effective round-the-clock cooperation between the Republic of Armenia and the EU Agency in the legal field.
As for the second document, as the Deputy Minister emphasized, within the framework of the memorandum presented by the Cabinet, it is planned to create a liaison officer's office, which will be a representative of the Republic of Armenia. Its task will include resolving issues related to providing secure communication channels with the creation of appropriate infrastructures. The salary of the liaison officer and his office staff will be paid from the state budget of Armenia. The necessary equipment and supplies to support the activities of the liaison officer will be provided by Europol.