The Memorandum on the agreement between the General Police Directorate, Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Croatia and the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) was signed at the General Police Directorate
Zagreb, 12 January 2022
With the aim of achieving/promoting common interests in the combat against illegal drug trade, the Memorandum on the agreement between the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Croatia, General Police Directorate and the United States Drug Enforcement Administration was signed today at the General Police Directorate.
Assistant to the General Police Director and Head of the Criminal Police at the General Police Directorate Antonio Gerovac and the attaché of the Regional Office of the DEA in Croatia, Kevin Fejeran, co-signed the Memorandum which serves as proof of strengthening Croatian-American cooperation in the combat against illegal drug trade and other forms of transnational criminal acts.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior dr. sc. Davor Božinović sees the signing of the Memorandum as a strong confirmation and recognition of the work of the Croatian criminal police:
“After the accession of the Republic of Croatia to the Visa Waiver Program, the Memorandum is another result of intensive cooperation with our American partners as well as confirmation that the United States sees Croatia alongside other countries which meet the highest security standards. The strengthening of cooperation in the area of security with the United States is a continuous process and the result of mutual trust built over the past three decades, which is becoming more important today when we are aware that almost all challenges are more or less cross-border issues and are transnational and increasingly transcontinental in nature. The establishment of the DEA Regional Office in Zagreb in 2016 was recognition for the Republic of Croatia and additionally confirmed the status and efforts of Croatian police in the combat against drug-related crimes, especially in cracking down on criminal groups of the so-called Balkan Cartel, where we have already achieved significant results and successes with our American partners.”
“The partnership between the USA and Croatia is strong, dynamic and growing. This new agreement builds upon our very successful cooperation with the Ministry of the Interior concerning Croatia’s accession to the Visa Waiver Program. The Ministry of the Interior remains a close partner in promoting common goals, and by signing this agreement today, we will march together forward with effective American-Croatian teamwork against drug trade and transnational crime. We hold the Croatian leadership in high regards concerning the combating of those challenges in the broader region”,
said Mark Fleming, Chargé d’Affaires of the US Embassy.
The Memorandum determines the scope of tools, from technological to the exchange of information and forms of mutual support when conducting operations directed at the combating of drug smuggling, as well as close cooperation in criminal prosecution of committed criminal acts concerning drug crimes.
CROATIAN VERSION
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