Baku, Azerbaijan: INTERPOL Secretary General Ronald K. Noble has said that the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is fundamental to international security given the region’s strategic importance in cross-border law enforcement cooperation and crime prevention.
Speaking on Friday at the Session of the Ministerial Council of Internal Affairs of the Commonwealth of Independent States, Secretary General Noble said that with its nations stretching from the Black Sea to the Pacific Ocean, “the CIS faces unique security challenges which require its member states and their leaders to work together with the rest of the world” against the threat of terrorism and transnational organized crimes such as drug and human trafficking.
In this respect, Azerbaijani Prime Minister Artur Tairovic Rasizadeh said at the meeting that enhancing international law enforcement cooperation was a priority for CIS countries in order to fight crime and strengthen public safety. “A whole range of issues will be discussed at this meeting to develop and implement the most effective forms of cooperation against organized crime. The CIS Internal Ministers Council meeting will give impetus to timely collective measures against crime,” said Azerbaijan’s prime minister.
With details of more than 1,300 suspected terrorists shared by CIS countries via INTERPOL, Secretary General Noble lauded the determination of the CIS bloc, and host country Azerbaijan, to share police information internationally via INTERPOL’s global network.
Following the deployment by the world police body of INTERPOL Major Events Support Teams (IMESTs) to help secure the EURO 2012 tournament in Poland and Ukraine in June and July, the Head of INTERPOL told the CIS Ministerial Session: “INTERPOL remains committed to assisting the Commonwealth and its member states in the field, both in the context of future major international events and following criminal incidents. And whenever we do so, we hope to be able to deploy our officers as rapidly as possible to the field to provide assistance to our member countries.”
To this end, Mr Noble outlined the need for the INTERPOL Travel Document to be recognized throughout the CIS so as to ease the provision of assistance by the world police body to its member countries and the deployment of law enforcement officials travelling on duty for INTERPOL-related matters.
The INTERPOL passport, now officially recognized by 44 countries, is aimed at facilitating the worldwide deployment of INTERPOL officials, chiefs of law enforcement agencies, heads of National Central Bureaus and staff by allowing them to travel internationally on official INTERPOL business without requiring a visa prior to boarding a plane to assist in transnational investigations or in urgent deployments.
“Our vision is that of law enforcement officials around the world connected at all times while in the field, and of great nations working side by side to serve justice globally. It is the vision of a safer world. A vision that demands, as part of its foundations, a strong and secure Commonwealth of Independent States,” concluded Noble.
With identity verification, border security and human migration flows key issues affecting CIS countries, an INTERPOL proposal to facilitate the movement of recognized migrant workers between different countries via a globally verifiable card for foreign workers will also be on the agenda during the meeting.