We have started a process of joint dialogue EU/Russia/USA in the area of internal security and thus achieved one of the Austrian Presidency’s key goals“, Austria’s Interior Minister Liese Prokop said today, Thursday. “Global threats such as terrorism, organised crime, drug trafficking and trafficking in human beings or illegal migration call for global responses." She said she was very pleased that “we have today succeeded in defining the key principles and specific themes for future tripartite cooperation by the EU, Russia and the USA on internal security”. An expert meeting in the autumn and a formal meeting in the first half of 2007 are planned as the next steps.
In addition to Liese Prokop as EU Presidency and representatives of the following Finnish, German, Portuguese and Slovene Presidencies, the meeting was attended by Viktor Ivanov, advisor to President Putin, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, US Department of Justice, who has responsibility in the area of internal security for the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration, Rashid Nurgaliev, Russian Interior Minister, Deputy Secretary Michael P. Jackson, Department of Homeland Security and European Commissioner Franco Frattini.
The key principles of possible future tripartite cooperation by the EU, Russia and the USA in the area of internal security was defined as: the willingness to work together to tackle common threats, the objective of making internal security a priority in external relations between the participating countries, joint preparation of concrete solutions in the fight against terrorism, crime and illegal migration and the mobilisation of joint resources to achieve common goals in the field of security.
In addition, specific areas for tripartite security cooperation by the EU, Russia and the USA were agreed. In the fight against terrorism this concerns measures to combat radicalisation and recruitment, the financing of terrorism or the abuse of the Internet. In the fight against organised crime, measures to combat money laundering, drug trafficking, human trafficking and cyber crime are concerned. Other themes include cooperation in combating illegal immigration, the security of identity documents and border control.
Experts from the three sides will explore in depth the practical added value of tripartite security cooperation by the EU, Russia and the USA in the coming months. To this end a first meeting is planned under the Finnish Presidency. This is to be followed by a first formal meeting of the EU, Russian Federation and the USA on a political level, which could be organised by the German Presidency. “I am convinced that this tripartite cooperation will have real added value for the security of our citizens", Interior Minister Prokop said.
A declaration was adopted at today’s meeting.
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