BUCHAREST, June 20th – The SECI Center director, Mitja Močnik discussed today with Trpe Stojanovski, the director of Migration, Asylum, Refugees Regional Initiative Regional Centre, MARRI RC, the details of a Memorandum of Understanding to be signed in the near future.
“The two regional centers will assist each other on migration issues. It is important not to duplicate efforts and to efficiently use the resources available in the region. By extending and intensifying the working relationships between organizations with similar objectives, our chances of success increase considerably”, Mitja Močnik, director of the SECI Center stated.
“The priority of MARRI RC is the regional cooperation and it is important to institutionalize the basis for such cooperation. SECI is one of the important organizations and that is why we proposed the text of a Memorandum of Understanding which will give the basis and framework for further more efficient and pragmatic cooperation. We need this synergy between the two centers”, Trpe Stojanovski, the director of MARRI RC explained.
The SECI Regional Center for Combating Trans-border Crime, headquartered in Bucharest, Romania, was launched in 2000, and is a unique operational organization in which police and customs liaison officers from 12 member states (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Moldova, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia and Turkey) work together in direct cooperation, coordinate joint investigations and facilitate information exchange. During the June JCC meeting, Montenegro became the 13th member state.
Besides the member countries, there are 21 observers, countries and organizations: Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Canada, EUBAM, France, Georgia, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Slovakia, Ukraine, UNDP Romania, the United Kingdom, UNMIK, and the United States of America.
Italy and the United States maintain permanent representation at the SECI Center, and Interpol and the World Customs Organization are permanent (non-resident) advisors to the SECI Center.
