OSCE fosters Albania and Montenegro law enforcement co-operation in fight against trafficking and organized crime

TIRANA, 15 November 2007 - Enhancing co-operation between Albanian and Montenegrin police, prosecutors and judges in the fight against transnational organized crime was the focus of an OSCE meeting that ended in the northern Albanian city of Shkodra today.

The two-day event was organized by the OSCE Spanish Chairmanship and the OSCE's Strategic Police Matters Unit with the support from the Presence in Albania and the Mission to Montenegro.

"We talked about the mechanisms used in the fight against organized crime and human trafficking, and ways to improve them," said Kevin Carty, OSCE Senior Police Advisor. "The results of the discussion will serve not only these two countries but all of the OSCE participating States."

Representatives of the judiciary, the public prosecutor's office and the police from both countries took part in the discussion, which aimed to develop further the co-ordination efforts between these bodies and give participants an opportunity to discuss best-practices and areas for improvement.

The meeting followed other discussions held in Montenegro and Albania. On 12 December, focal points from the two countries will meet with OSCE experts in Vienna to present a final paper on good practices, which will be made available to the 56 OSCE participating States.

The project is being implemented with the assistance of the OSCE Presence in Albania and the OSCE Mission to Montenegro.