The Prosecutor General of the Republic of Armenia, Anna Vardapetyan, today received the President of the European Union Criminal Justice Agency (Eurojust), Ladislav Hamran, who arrived in Armenia at her invitation.
RA Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Kingdom of Belgium, Tigran Balayan, Head of the RA Representation in the European Union, Head of the European Union Delegation to Armenia, Ambassador Vasilis Maragos, and others took part in the meeting.
Anna Vardapetyan welcomed the President of Eurojust at the General Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Armenia. She noted that the second meeting within a year testifies to the practical work between the two departments and the willingness to develop further cooperation. In this context, the Prosecutor General of the Republic highlighted the Agreement signed in Brussels on April 5, 2024, “between the Republic of Armenia and the European Union on the cooperation between competent authorities in the field of legal cooperation in criminal proceedings of the Republic of Armenia and the European Union Agency for Cooperation in the Field of Criminal Justice (Eurojust),” which was ratified by the RA National Assembly on September 10. The Agreement envisages the possibility of sending a Commonwealth Prosecutor to Eurojust. Representation of the Prosecutor’s Office in Eurojust will provide an opportunity to ensure operational communication with contact persons of EU member states and third countries and to implement more effective international legal cooperation with criminal proceedings initiated in the Republic of Armenia.
“This is our next step towards the European Union. I am confident that the Agreement will contribute to the cooperation between the competent authorities of the Republic of Armenia and foreign countries within the framework of Eurojust in the fight against organized crime, terrorism, money laundering, and several other transnational crimes,” Anna Vardapetyan emphasized and added that the Labor Agreement being signed today is one of Armenia’s will step closer to the full implementation of the provisions of the Agreement.
Eurojust President Ladislav Hamran thanked the RA Prosecutor General for the warm reception and noted. “With the Labor agreement signed today, Armenia will be given the “keys” to enter Eurojust. With this step of joining Eurojust, Armenia, our valuable partner is sending an essential message to the world, showing that it is committed to the principles of the rule of law.”
Anna Vardapetyan highly appreciated the work of the Armenian diplomatic missions in European Union countries and thanked the European Union delegation in Armenia for establishing cooperation with the Agreement.
