4 minute read
The Prosecutor General of the Republic of Armenia Anna Vardapetyan and European Chief Prosecutor Laura Codruța Kövesi signed in Luxembourg a Working Arrangement on Cooperation between the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Republic of Armenia and the European Public Prosecutor’s Office.
The Prosecutor General’s Office said in a press release that the document aims to strengthen cooperation between the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Republic of Armenia and the European Public Prosecutor’s Office in the areas of investigations and criminal prosecutions conducted within their respective jurisdictions.
The Working Arrangement places particular emphasis on combating financial crimes, taking into account the need for effective protection of the financial interests of the Republic of Armenia and the European Union.
Under the Working Arrangement, the Parties will provide each other with maximum assistance in obtaining information and evidence within the framework of specific cases, in accordance with applicable national legislation and relevant international legal instruments.
Another important area of cooperation is the freezing, seizure and confiscation of assets acquired through criminal activity. Within their respective jurisdictions and in accordance with applicable legal regulations, the Parties may also cooperate in the format of joint investigation teams.
The Working Arrangement also provides for joint training sessions, cooperation in organizing seminars, workshops and conferences, as well as mutual technical and other assistance.
Highlighting the signing of the document that brings cooperation with the European Public Prosecutor’s Office to a qualitatively new stage, Prosecutor General Anna Vardapetyan said: “Financial crimes by their nature often cross the borders of a single state, while the movement of funds acquired through criminal activity can pass through multiple jurisdictions. Therefore, their effective detection and the recovery of assets acquired through criminal activity require rapid, coordinated and reliable cooperation between law enforcement agencies. The Prosecutor General’s Office of the Republic of Armenia attaches importance to establishing this new level of cooperation with the European Public Prosecutor’s Office. I am confident that the Working Arrangement will be of practical importance both in protecting the EU’s financial interests and in increasing the effectiveness of combating financial crimes of interest to the Republic of Armenia and the European Union. Our goal is to ensure that the transfer of criminal proceeds and illegally acquired assets to other countries does not become a guarantee of impunity.”
European Chief Prosecutor Laura Codruța Kövesi, addressing the agreement, said: “Today, together with the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Armenia, we agreed on how we will cooperate in combating crimes that have harmed the EU budget through fraud. Criminals do not stop at borders, and neither will we. We will follow the money they have stolen through fraud, regardless of where they hide it, and we will return those funds.”
The Working Arrangement enters into force as of today, September 11, 2026.