Armenia to Have a Prosecutor for Cooperation in Eurojust

The Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Armenia, the Prosecutor's Office of Armenia, and Eurojust signed a working agreement today regarding the implementation of the "Agreement on Cooperation between the Republic of Armenia and the European Union in the Field of Legal Cooperation on Criminal Matters of the Republic of Armenia and the Eurojust Agency for Cooperation in Criminal Justice Matters".

The document regulates the deployment of the Prosecutor for Cooperation, the scope of their activities, and related issues such as participation in the meetings of the Eurojust College, working group activities, strategic meetings, training sessions, awareness-raising events, and programs.

The working agreement was signed by the Minister of Justice of Armenia, Grigor Minasyan, the Prosecutor General of Armenia, Anna Vardapetyan, and the President of Eurojust, Ladislav Hamran.

Present at the event were Rustam Badasyan, Chairman of the State Revenue Committee (former Minister of Justice), Paruyr Hovhannisyan, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Arman Yeghoyan, Chair of the Permanent Commission on European Integration of the National Assembly, Vasilis Maragos, Head of the EU Delegation to Armenia, Tigran Balayan, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Armenia to Belgium and Head of Armenia’s Representation to the EU, among others.

Justice Minister Grigor Minasyan emphasized that this important document marks a significant milestone in strengthening cooperation between the Republic of Armenia and the European Union in the fields of justice and the rule of law, as well as in combating transnational crime. According to the Minister, the agreement will play an irreplaceable role in promoting sectoral cooperation between the competent authorities of Armenia and the European Union, aimed at facilitating mutual legal assistance and developing joint investigation strategies.

Prosecutor General Anna Vardapetyan stated in her speech: "Transnational crime is the greatest challenge to the modern system of criminal justice. Latent and coordinated crime, whose scope extends beyond the borders of a single state and includes the geography of an entire region or continent, requires a new quality of international legal cooperation among prosecutorial bodies. The Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Armenia recognizes this reality and is committed to expanding avenues for cooperation with foreign partners. The geography of the Prosecutor's Office's professional relationships with partners is vast; we have bilateral or regional agreements, as well as multilateral treaties signed under the auspices of the UN and the CoE with some countries. Our cooperation with Eurojust is young, but we already have success stories related to legal assistance in cases of money laundering, illegal drug trafficking, and corruption. We have managed to familiarize ourselves with Eurojust's toolkit, confirmed its effectiveness, and are confident that the Working Agreement signed today will provide an opportunity to apply this toolkit more broadly within Armenia's law enforcement agencies.

In particular, the presence of the Prosecutor for Cooperation through the Prosecutor's Office will enable operational contact with contact persons from EU member and non-member third countries, thus also allowing for more efficient international legal cooperation in criminal matters initiated in the Republic of Armenia.

Dear colleagues, this ceremonial event concludes nearly three years of negotiations that commenced in 2021. Through our joint effective efforts, we have reached the signing stage of the Working Agreement for the implementation of the provisions of the Agreement, which means that today we take one more step towards the full implementation of the Agreement’s provisions. I would like to express my gratitude for the work of Armenia’s diplomatic representations in the EU countries in establishing this cooperation agreement, and I thank you for your steadfast efforts. I particularly want to thank the EU delegation in Armenia and all our partners in the legislative, executive, and judicial bodies who contributed to making this day a reality. Congratulations to all of us, and I wish for effective joint work!"

Eurojust President Ladislav Hamran also valued the signing of the document, considering it a historical event. "By joining Eurojust, Armenia is getting closer to European values in the legal field," highlighted Ladislav Hamran, wishing for a successful Armenia-Eurojust cooperation.