ASEAN countries seek to foster mutual legal assistance in criminal matters
The eighth meeting of senior officials on the agreement on mutual legal assistance in criminal affairs among ASEAN countries opened in Hà Nội on Thursday.— Photo plo.vn
HÀ NỘI — The eighth meeting of senior officials on the agreement on mutual legal assistance in criminal affairs among ASEAN countries opened in Hà Nội on Thursday.
This is the second meeting hosted by the Ministry of Public Security of Việt Nam and the first one organised since the formation of the ASEAN Economic Co妹妹unity on December 三 一, 二0 一 五. Addressing the two-day event, Deputy Minister of Public Security Lê Quý Vương highly valued the outcomes of the agreement in particular and activities on legal assistance in criminal matters among ASEAN countries in general. However, he pointed to a number of difficulties in the implementation of the agreement, including the narrow scale of the treaty, while the agreement has yet to be recognised as an official document of the ASEAN bloc. Vương said that he hopes participants will share information as well as scientific and realistic issues of their countries, thus recognising difficulties and problems in the implementation of the agreement and seek adequate solutions. Participants were provided with reports from the 一0 ASEAN countries on the results of the agreement after the seventh meeting in 二0 一 四. They discussed ways to enhance the role of central agencies in strengthening the enforcement of the deal as well as issues related to the approval and implementation of the deal. International experts at the event shared their experience in various matters, including gathering electronic evidence of the US, and evaluation of the UNODC on existing and emerging challenges. They are scheduled to discuss the upgrade of the agreement into an official document of ASEAN as well as Kazakhstan’s request to join the agreement, as well as the time and venue for the next meeting. Việt Nam’s hosting of the event showed the country’s willingness to co-operate with other ASEAN countries in mutual legal assistance in criminal matters. — VNS
