site.btaBulgaria, China Sign Police Cooperation Agreement

Bulgaria, China Sign Police Cooperation Agreement

Beijing, January 12 (BTA) - Bulgaria and China signed an agreement on crime prevention and combat Monday evening, said the Interior Ministry press office. The document was signed by Bulgarian Interior Minister Roumyana Buchvarova and Guo Shengkun, the Chinese Minister of Public Security.

The legal framework for bilateral cooperation in the area of law enforcement was last updated in 1996 when the two countries signed their last cooperation agreement.

The agreement provides groundwork for efficient police cooperation in countering a broad range of crimes, including international terrorism and organized crime, trafficking in human beings, narcotics and firearms.

The agreement provides for exchange of experts and police training. It broadens the range of competent bodies for implementation of the agreement. On the Bulgarian side these will be the Interior Ministry and the State Agency for National Security.

The Bulgarian side achieved express regulation of the protection of personal data.

The lack of such regulation has been a hurdle to effective police cooperation between the two countries, the Interior Ministry says.

During the signing of the agreement, Buchvarova said: "In the present security environment, the threats and challenges are common and so are the solutions. Close cooperation among partner services is of key importance."

Guo Shengkun said that international terrorism is the biggest and most pressing security challenge on a global scale, and fighting the financing of terrorism requires strengthened international cooperation.

Minister Buchvarova visited an institute for research and innovation with the Chinese Ministry of Public Security.

She is accompanied on her visit by Interior Ministry Chief Secretary Georgi Kostov and the heads of the Interior Ministry Directorates for international operations cooperation and for EU and international cooperation.