Today, June 24, 2021, in Sofia, the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Bulgaria Ivan Geshev opened the Second Working Forum of the General Prosecutors of the Balkan States on "The role of the prosecution in establishing the rule of law." In his greeting Ivan Geshev expressed confidence that "the work of the institutions of so many countries and the partnership between us can serve as a model of understanding and motivate us in our daily efforts" and added that "differences in legal systems and traditions in the region are not an obstacle to common projects and building bridges between us”.
The forum in the Bulgarian capital is attended by the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Turkey Bekir Sahin, the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Northern Macedonia Lubomir Joveski, the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Albania Olcian Cela, the First Deputy Prosecutor General of Romania Bogdan Licu, Milanko Kajganic - Deputy Prosecutor General of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Head of the Specialized Department for War Crimes, prosecutors from Romania, Slovenia, Greece and Montenegro.
The Prosecutor General of Turkey Bekir Sahin congratulated the participants, emphasizing that success in the fight against cross-border organized crime is possible only by establishing mechanisms for co-operation between prosecutors, direct contact and coordinated action.
The representative of the Supreme Judicial Council, Boyan Magdalinchev, reminded that prosecutors should know that they can do their job without political pressure and fear, and that is why it is necessary to categorically defend their independence within the judiciary.
The President of Eurojust, Ladislav Hamran, welcomed the participants in the forum by videoconference, assuring the participants in the forum that cooperation with the Balkan countries is a priority for Eurojust, because "what unites us is the need to achieve a safer world."
Guests of the Forum are also members of the Supreme Judicial Council, the leadership of the Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Bulgaria, the Administrative Heads of the Appellate Prosecutor's Offices in our country.
The initiative for the establishment of the Working Forum of the General Prosecutors of the Balkan states was put forward by the leaderships of the Prosecutor's Offices of Bulgaria and Turkey. The first meeting of the Heads of the Prosecutors' Offices from the Balkan states was held in October 2019 in Izmir, Turkey.
The Working Forum aims to strengthen good cooperation between prosecutors from the Balkans on criminal matters, prevention and combating cross-border organized crime such as drug trafficking, arms trafficking and illegal migration. The Forum also provides an opportunity for the exchange of good practices between the state prosecutors from the Balkan region in strengthening the role of the Prosecution in establishing the rule of law.
Text to the photos:
- Prosecutor General of the Republic of Bulgaria Ivan Geshev opens the Second Working Meeting of the General Prosecutors of the Balkan States;
- Second working meeting of the General Prosecutors of the Balkan countries;
- The Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev welcomes the Prosecutor General or of the Republic of Northern Macedonia Lubomir Joveski;
- Ivan Geshev welcomes the representatives of the Serbian Prosecutor's Office;
- The President of Eurojust Ladislav Hamran;
- Prosecutor General of the Republic of Turkey Bekir Sahih
- Bogdan Licu, First Deputy Prosecutor General of Romania and Prosecutor Nadina Spinu, Head of the International Legal Cooperation Department in the Prosecutor's Office of the Supreme Court of Cassation of Romania;
- Prosecutor General of the Republic of Albania, Olsian Cela;
- Milanko Kajganic - Deputy Prosecutor General of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Head of the Specialized Department for War Crimes