Russia to Highlight West's Failure to Meet Crime Fighting Obligations at UN

MOSCOW, June 1. /TASS/. Russia’s delegation will highlight the West’s failure to meet its obligations to fight international crime at the next session of the United Nations Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ), the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"As certain Western countries refuse to implement Russia’s requests for mutual legal assistance in criminal investigations, we will stress the importance of good-faith observance by all states of their international obligations in criminal justice cooperation. Western practices of illegal use of unilateral restrictions cause irreparable damage to collective efforts by the international community to combat crime," the statement reads.

The Russian delegation will also seek to draw the commission’s attention to the most pressing challenges and threats related to crime, giving a detailed account of the resolute steps Russia has taken to curb the activities of transnational organized crime groups.

"In this regard, the Russian delegation will emphasize that there is no alternative to strict compliance with the relevant UN conventions by all states, and highlight the importance of international anti-crime cooperation under the central coordinating role of the UN, on equal terms, free of double standards, and firmly grounded in international law," the Russian Foreign Ministry added.

"Russia’s position on the need to continue providing technical assistance to the interested countries in the field of criminal law on an equal basis will be conveyed to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, which serves as the secretariat of the CCPCJ," the ministry went on to say. "Russia is ready to expand the implementation of joint donor projects with UNODC aimed at assisting countries in need in combating drug trafficking, corruption, crimes related to information and communications technologies and maritime security," the ministry noted.

Russia’s government delegation to the event, led by Deputy Foreign Minister Dmitry Lyubinsky, includes officials from the Foreign Ministry, the Prosecutor General’s Office, the Investigative Committee, the Interior Ministry, the Justice Ministry, the Federal Penitentiary Service, and the Federal Financial Monitoring Service, as well as members of the academic community.