IntMinPredoiu, Saudi Arabia ambassador discuss organized crime, cyber crimes, drug trafficking

Minister of Interior Catalin Predoiu on Friday discussed with the ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed Abdulghani Khayat, about strengthening and expanding bilateral cooperation in areas such as counterterrorism, the fight against drugs and organized crime, civil protection and the development of good practices in cybersecurity.

"Effective protection of national borders, strengthening internal security, combating drug trafficking and illegal migration are important objectives, at the top of the agenda of both countries, and from this perspective, cooperation can only be beneficial for our states, as reliable partners," stated Catalin Predoiu, according to a press release of the Ministry of Interior (MAI) sent to AGERPRES on Friday.

He said that, in the context of a sharp human deficit, the only solution for development and modernisation is the use of new technologies, drones and robots, in the first phase, in the activity of protecting the rights and freedoms of citizens, in protecting the state border, in intervening in civil emergency situations and civil defence.

"Continuing the series of discussions with our external partners, we had an extremely interesting and fruitful exchange of ideas with the ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Bucharest, in which we highlighted all these aspects. We have established the deepening of the dialogue in the coming period, being convinced that this meeting will form the basis of an increasingly consistent dialogue between our authorities," said the Romanian Minister of Interior.

Minister Predoiu evoked the need to strengthen cooperation in a broader context, with states outside the EU, considering that phenomena such as organized crime, cybercrime or drug trafficking have a transnational character, in terms of their manifestations and consequences.

"At the level of law enforcement authorities in the two states, there is already significant cooperation, materialized through consistent activities in various fields, such as combating organized crime or drug trafficking, where training and exchange of experience programmes have been carried out. The interlocutors also evoked the already existing contacts between the two ministries in the field of civil protection, in this regard, the experience and good practices developed by Romania, through the Department for Emergency Situations, being highly appreciated," the same source also shows.

Ambassador Mohammed Khayat appreciated the collaborative relations developed to date with the law enforcement authorities in Romania, highlighting the training and exchange of experience activities in the field of drugs and combating organized crime, as well as the desire to continue this good practice in the future.

He recalled the consolidated experience of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in counterterrorism activities and protection of internal security, the two parties establishing the need to develop cooperation in these fields as well. And he welcomed Minister Predoiu's appreciations regarding the potential of the Saudi Kingdom in areas aimed at digitalisation and innovation and expressed openness to starting exchanges of experience and discussions in these areas.