Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev visited Washington, the capital of the United States of America, where he held a number of meetings with officials from the United States House of Representatives. He was accompanied by Vladimir Nikolov, Chairman of the Association of Prosecutors in Bulgaria and Administrative Head of Pleven District Prosecutor's Office.
Ivan Geshev discussed with Congressman Nick LaLota Bulgaria's strategic place in NATO and the EU in the implementation of effective investigations to prevent attempts at foreign influence and imposition of anti-democratic sentiments in society. The congressman emphasized the importance of the Black Sea Security Act submitted for consideration to the Congress in 2023, which provides for upgrading the joint actions of the states in the Black Sea region to improve the ways of communication and strengthen cybersecurity.
Security in the Black Sea region and upholding the rule of law was also the focus of Ivan Geshev's meeting with Congressman Brandon Williams. "The interaction and exchange of information with our partners should be more tangible so that any attempts to impose interests that contradict the interests of our countries can be repelled", Ivan Geshev noted and stressed that "only with joint actions and mutual assistance the Bulgarian state could protect the external border of the EU".
Prosecutor General also met with Congressman Andrew Garbarino. They discussed the countermeasures of our country in the legal aspect of cybercrimes. They were united around the opinion that in the age of the digital boom, Internet crimes pose a challenge to the states and complicate the work of the legislative bodies to ensure the security of the citizens. During the meeting Vladimir Nikolov, Head of Pleven District Prosecutor’s Office, presented the work of the newly formed Cybercrime Unit at the National Investigation Service.
Congressman Garbarino is a member of the Committee on Internal Security and Finance and he was interested in the information provided by Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev regarding the actions of the Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Bulgaria to fight organized crime, internet crimes and the protection of citizens' rights and security.
During his visit, Prosecutor General also held working meetings with representatives from the offices of Congressmen Jared Moskowitz, Mike Lauer and Mike Turner. Topics of discussion included law enforcement, fight against corruption and countering malign Russian influence to protect Euro-Atlantic values and the rule of law.