Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 21 July (BelTA) – Belarus is an example of zero tolerance to crime, Kazakhstan’s Prosecutor General Askhat Daulbayev said after signing a cooperation agreement between the prosecutor general’s offices of Belarus and Kazakhstan on 21 July, BelTA has learnt.

“For us the Republic of Belarus is an example of zero tolerance to crime. While staying in Minsk we have seen how efficiently the country’s law enforcement works and how law-abiding people are. While observing law even in small things people secure order in bigger things. Therefore, the crime rate in Belarus is one of the lowest in the post-Soviet space,” the Prosecutor General of Kazakhstan said.

He called the conclusion of the agreement a landmark event, as the both countries are members of the same integration projects and this agreement opens up great prospects. “I think this will bring tremendous economic benefits for our states and peoples,” Askhat Daulbayev said. He noted that any integration process is accompanied by some challenges and threats, as criminals start integrating, too. The agreement signed on 21 July is expected to become a reliable shield against cross-border crime, the Prosecutor General of Kazakhstan said.

Prosecutor General of Belarus Alexander Konyuk noted that there are no problems in cooperation with Kazakhstani counterparts; however, a solid legal framework is needed. The prosecutor-general’s offices of the two countries have recently ramped up their contacts and information exchange.

The agreement will enable Belarus and Kazakhstan to intensify cooperation. For example, it will allow providing mutual assistance in pre-investigation checks and sharing expertise and knowledge in combating drug trafficking and illegal migration. In 2014 Kazakhstan submitted over 40 inquiries to Belarus’s prosecutor-general’s office. For Belarus it was about a third of all inquiries submitted by the CIS member states. The new document will make the interaction even faster.

A memorandum of understanding was signed between the prosecutor's offices of Minsk and Astana. The documents were inked by Minsk Prosecutor Sergei Khmaruk and his Kazakhstani counterpart Mukhtar Zhorgenbayev. The document aims to make the bilateral cooperation faster and more efficient.