Kazakhstan has put forward an initiative to clearly regulate readmission procedures and the exchange of information on deported persons within the Commonwealth of Independent States. The proposal was made at a meeting of the Council of Interior Ministers of the CIS member states held on October 1 in Dushanbe, according to infohub.kz.
The Kazakh delegation was led by Yerzhan Sadenov, Minister of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The meeting was attended by heads of interior ministries from Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, as well as representatives of the CIS Executive Committee, the Bureau for Coordinating the Fight against Organized Crime, and the CIS Anti-Terrorism Center.
Before the meeting, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon received the heads of delegations. He emphasized the importance of strengthening law enforcement cooperation in countering modern challenges and threats.
"One of the main topics of the meeting was the fight against transnational and organized crime. Participants also considered issues of combating drug trafficking and improving interstate search for criminals," the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kazakhstan said.
In his speech, Yerzhan Sadenov spoke about Kazakhstan's measures to implement interstate programs in the field of combating crime. The minister paid special attention to strengthening practical cooperation among CIS law enforcement agencies in the fight against internet fraud.
"In particular, Kazakhstan proposed intensifying joint efforts to identify and detain organizers and participants of criminal dropper schemes," the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kazakhstan explained.
A separate block of Kazakhstan's proposals concerned illegal migration. Yerzhan Sadenov noted the work of the Kazakh Interior Ministry together with foreign colleagues to update the Agreement on Cooperation in Combating Illegal Migration of March 6, 1998.
"This concerns, in particular, the introduction and clear regulation of readmission procedures, as well as the exchange of information on deported persons," the ministry clarified.
Readmission involves the transfer of persons to a state in accordance with established agreements. For the effective implementation of such procedures, it is necessary to determine the order of interaction between competent authorities, timelines, and mechanisms for information transfer.
According to the meeting's outcomes, the proposed changes should eliminate existing legal gaps, unify procedures, and enhance the effectiveness of joint efforts against illegal migration.
"Another area of cooperation was the fight against drug crime. Kazakhstan proposed intensifying international operations aimed at eliminating drug supply channels, as well as strengthening the exchange of information on new types of prohibited substances," the Kazakh Interior Ministry added.
Thus, the Kazakh side's proposals covered several areas of law enforcement cooperation at once — from illegal migration and readmission to internet fraud and drug trafficking.
Following the meeting, the interior ministers of the CIS countries adopted a number of joint decisions aimed at further strengthening cooperation in the fight against transnational crime.