The 12th meeting of the Working Group on Combating Terrorism, Organized Crime and Drug Trafficking held in Tbilisi

On 11-12 November 2009, the 12th meeting of the Working Group on Combating Terrorism, Organized Crime and Drug Trafficking (WGCTOC) took place at the Deputy Ministers’ level in Tbilisi. The meeting was held with the participation of Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia Mr. Ivane Merabishvili, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia Mr. Georgi Lordkipanidze (Chairman of WGCTOC), Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan Mr. Vilayat Eyvazov, Secretary General of GUAM Mr. Valeri Chechelashvili, the heads and members of the delegations of the GUAM Member States and the GUAM Secretariat.

The participants herd the Coordinating Country’s Report on the fulfillment of the 2009 Working Plan and agreed upon the Plan for 2010, considered the results and the conduct of the GUAM Member States’ joint law-enforcement operations “Narcostop-2009” (June 22-26) on combating drug trafficking and “Interception-2009” (November 9-13) on combating trade in persons.

They considered issues of harmonization and improvement of the GUAM Member States’ legislation in area of law-enforcement as well as its implementation mechanisms, including the issues related to ratification or confirmation of the Protocol on protection of information signed in Helsinki on 4 December 2008 and the development of legal basis of their bilateral relations.

There were discussed also the issues of implementation of the GUAM-USA Framework Program in spheres of combat against drug trafficking, trade in persons and illegal migration, money laundering, terrorism as well as modernization of national segments and protection of information within the channels of the GUAM Interstate Information Management System (ISIMS).

Special attention was drawn to the coordination of interaction among the GUAM Member States’ law-enforcement agencies, including the strengthening of institutional capabilities and exchange of information within the framework of the GUAM VLEC/ISIMS as well as the activity of WGCTOC’s working sub-groups on combating illicit drug trafficking, trade in persons and illegal migration, corruption and money laundering, and terrorism.