Ihor Klymenko: Launch of the Coordination Centre for Combating Illicit Arms Trafficking is our contribution to the development of the European security architecture
Under the chairmanship of Ihor Klymenko, the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, the inaugural meeting of the Coordination Centre for Combating Illicit Trafficking in Firearms, Their Parts and Components and Ammunition was held.
The event was also attended by Oleksii Serhieiev, the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, Ivan Vyhivskyi, the Head of the National Police of Ukraine, representatives of the Office of the Prosecutor General, the Ministry of Defence, the Security Service of Ukraine, the State Bureau of Investigation, the Ministry of Strategic Industries of Ukraine, international organisations such as the OSCE, the European Union Advisory Mission for Civilian Security Sector Reform, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the Delegation of the European Union, and a member of the Ukrainian Parliament.
"Every day, law enforcement agencies seize weapons, explosives and ammunition from illicit trafficking, and border guards take exhaustive measures to prevent their trafficking across the state border. The launch of the Coordination Centre and ensuring proper control over arms trafficking was one of our top priorities, given its importance for the security system of the whole of Europe," said Ihor Klymenko, addressing the audience.
The Minister of Internal Affairs noted that within the framework of joint activities with the European Commission, the Ministry of Internal Affairs is implementing projects aimed at preventing the leakage of firearms.
In particular, the National Police ensures that information on lost, seized and stolen weapons is regularly transmitted to the EUROPOL for the purpose of its verification against the EUROPOL databases.
"In addition, we adhere to the existing agreements with the law enforcement agencies of the Kingdom of Spain on entering information on lost and stolen weapons into the Schengen Information System (SIS). Taking into account the EU recommendations and ensuring the proper functioning of the Coordination Centre, we are making our contribution to the development of the European security architecture," the Minister added.
In his turn, Ambassador Petr Mareš, Special Representative of the OSCE Chairmanship and Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine, said that the issue of arms trafficking is becoming increasingly acute due to russia's full-scale invasion, but the creation of the Coordination Centre will help to effectively counteract this problem.
"I would like to express my sincere gratitude for bringing together law enforcement agencies of your country and international partners on this platform. This demonstrates our shared responsibility and determination to fight the challenges we face. Achieving synergy in combating illicit arms trafficking is of great importance to us, as we are aware that the war is ongoing, and only through joint efforts can we ensure security in Ukraine and Europe."
In response, the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine stressed that, with the assistance of international partners, the Ministry of Internal Affairs is implementing a number of joint projects aimed at building the institutional capacity of law enforcement agencies.
Harshet Virk, the Head of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime Programme Office in Ukraine, stressed that owing to the coordinated and efficient efforts of Ukrainian law enforcement agencies, not a single weapon was trafficked to the European Union:
"I sincerely congratulate you on the establishment of the Coordination Centre - this is an important step in the fight against crime and illicit arms trafficking. We can confirm that our data coincides with yours - no weapons have been recorded as having been trafficked from the territory of Ukraine. This is a clear testament to the achievements of your team."
Harshet Virk noted that her team will continue to support the initiatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs by providing software and organising relevant trainings.
Maura O'Sullivan, the Acting Head of the EU Advisory Mission for Civilian Security Sector Reform in Ukraine, said that the Centre is a reliable solution for monitoring the situation in Ukraine, particularly in the area of combating illicit arms trafficking:
"We are ready to continue to support you and facilitate the rapid exchange of information. We are also looking at further cooperation, particularly in the area of consultations."
In his turn, René Steiner, Programme Officer for Health, Justice and Home Affairs at the EU Delegation to Ukraine, noted the importance of Ukraine's efforts in the area of security and law enforcement:
"Today we have once again witnessed your fruitful work. We have had a unique opportunity to see your commitment to implementing the 11 joint steps aimed at preventing the diversion of firearms. We would also like to acknowledge the work of the Unified Firearms Register and the alignment of your legislation with the EU acquis."
In addition, the participants got acquainted with the work of the Focal Point at the Coordination Centre, where a permanent working group ensures information interaction between state bodies in the fight against illegal arms trafficking.
In addition, the partners inspected the work of the Situational Centre of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, in particular the 112 Service operators, and got acquainted with the work of the Coordination Centre for Integrated Border Management.
"Our law enforcement agencies work every day. And we understand from the experience of other countries that we will have much more work to do after the war is over. However, we are focused on concrete and serious work for the sake of robust results," the Minister said.
For reference.
The Coordination Centre was established as an advisory body to the Government to improve interagency cooperation between public authorities. The main tasks of the Centre are:
processing and systematisation of information received;
coordinating the actions of state authorities, institutions and organisations on combating illicit firearms trafficking;
ensuring the exchange of information between the authorities of Ukraine and partner countries;
obtaining complete information about weapons;
improving the legal framework for combating illicit firearms trafficking;
identifying ways and means of solving problematic issues.
Communications Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine
