Swiss and Latvians join forces to fight crime
Switzerland and Latvia are stepping up police cooperation in a bid to combat organised crime.
The justice ministry said bilateral accords were needed to complement multilateral police agreements.
The agreement, due to be signed by Justice Minister Christoph Blocher on Monday, covers the exchange of information, coordination and training.
The agreement is also aimed at defining the tasks of a special police attaché.
Blocher is visiting Latvia over the weekend and is due to meet the Latvian interior and justice ministers as well as the President, Vaira Vike-Freiberga.
“The treaty with Latvia is part of efforts to fight international organised crime, not only through multinational cooperation via Interpol and Europol, but also through bilateral accords,” said a justice ministry statement.
Similar accords have already been signed with Switzerland’s neighbours – Germany, France, Italy and Austria – as well as Hungary.
The Czech Republic – which like Latvia is one of the ten new member states of the European Union – is expected to be next.
Eastern Europe, Russia
“Ideally we would like to have such agreements with all the new EU member states in eastern Europe, but also with Russia,” justice ministry spokeswoman Beatrice Born told swissinfo.
On June 5 Swiss voters will have the final word on closer police and asylum cooperation with the EU.
Systematic border controls would be abolished and asylum seekers could be sent back to the country where they filed their first request under the Schengen/Dublin agreements.
On September 25 the electorate is also due to decide on granting access to the Swiss labour market for citizens of the ten EU member states, including Latvia.
Switzerland opened up its labour market to citizens of the ten EU member states as part of a first set of bilateral treaties between Switzerland and Brussels.
swissinfo with agencies
The treaty is the first of its kind with a Baltic state.
Switzerland has similar agreements with five other countries, including neighbouring Germany, France, Italy and Austria.
Accords with Slovenia and the Czech Republic, two new EU member states, are to due to come in force in the near future.
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