MINSK, 17 April (BelTA) – Members of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus of the eighth convocation adopted the bill “On the ratification of the cooperation agreement in security and counter-terrorism between the Government of the Republic of Belarus and the Government of the United Arab Emirates” at the meeting of their first session on 17 April, BelTA has learned.
The bill was submitted to the House of Representatives by the Council of Ministers on 19 March with a view to ratifying the agreement signed in Abu Dhabi on 2 October 2023. This agreement seeks to expand bilateral cooperation through the exchange of information and best practices in the field of combating national security threats, preventing, identifying and counteracting all forms of crime.
The agreement was developed in furtherance of the memorandum of understanding on security cooperation signed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Belarus and the Ministry of Interior of the UAE in Abu Dhabi on 5 March 2007. The memorandum expires on the date the agreement enters into force. The implementation of the agreement will be supervised by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Belarus. The State Forensic Examination Committee, the State Border Committee, the State Customs Committee, the Financial Investigations Department of the State Control Committee, the State Security Committee and the Investigative Committee were proposed to be designated as other government agencies involved in the implementation of the agreement.
In line with the agreement, the parties will fulfill each other's requests for assistance, exchange information about committed or planned crimes, and measures to prevent them. They will carry out agreed activities, exchange legal and scientific information, provide assistance in training and advanced training of personnel. In order to implement the provisions of the agreement and to review progress to implement it, it is planned to create a joint security committee encompassing representatives of the internal affairs ministries of the two states. The bill was presented in the Oval Hall by Minister of Internal Affairs Ivan Kubrakov. “The agreement was developed by the Ministry of Interior of the United Arab Emirates together with the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Belarus in order to update the legal framework and deepen bilateral cooperation in the fight against crime,” the minister said. “The agreement defines avenues and forms of cooperation. The key avenues of cooperation will be the exchange of information about committed or planned crimes, the people who committed them, new methods of committing crimes and methods of fighting crimes, as well as joint crime prevention activities and measures, the use of controlled delivery to detect drug trafficking, coordination of activities within international organizations, assistance in training and advanced training of personnel.”
At the same time, the agreement does not address extradition of criminals and provision of legal assistance in criminal cases, the minister clarified. “In line with the agreement, assistance will be provided upon request by one of the parties. It can also be initiated by one of the parties. The agreement defines the procedure for submitting such requests and the mechanism for their full and prompt execution, the procedure to ensure the confidentiality of the information received and the procedure to transfer this information to a third party,” emphasized Ivan Kubrakov. “The agreement also establishes new rules for interaction by law enforcement agencies regarding the transfer of official information and personal data of citizens to the other party. Therefore, its ratification in the form of a law is required.”
The agreement does not contain provisions that contradict the Constitution and international obligations of the Republic of Belarus. “The implementation of the agreement and the adoption of the law of the Republic of Belarus on its ratification will not entail an increase in budget expenditures. The bill has been agreed upon with all interested government bodies,” the minister added.
