IOM Chief of Mission Meets with the 1st Deputy Minister of the Interior

On 30th of October IOM Minsk Chief of Mission Zeynal Hajiyev met with the 1st Deputy Minister of the Interior of Belarus Valentin Mikhnevich to discuss the latest results of cooperation between IOM and the Ministry of Interior as well as exchange opinions on the existing problems and share expectations regarding further joint activities in the future.

During the meeting both sides admitted the traditionally fruitful cooperation. Mr. Mikhnevich informed the visiting side about the recent restructuring of the Directory on Combating Drugs Human Trafficking, which will allow to approach the issues of drugs and human trafficking more comprehensively.  One of the advantages of restructuring is the establishment of the separate Department responsible for the coordination of activities in the area of human trafficking. Mr. Hajiyev in turn highlighted that IOM fully supports this initiative and will provide the necessary support.

Both sides agreed that the International Training Centre on Migration and Combating Trafficking in Human Beings (ITC) is a platform for building further cooperation via organization of trainings for the representatives of law enforcement not only of the Republic of Belarus and CIS but also for countries from other regions who want to advance their skills and enlarge their knowledge in the sphere. Therefore the ITC can be viewed as a platform for establishing contacts with the law enforcement representatives of, for example, the Russian Federation, which is extremely important to effectively combat human trafficking and related crimes.

Another positive development is the upcoming setting up in the Minsk oblast of a Multidisciplinary Group which will include representatives of different governmental, non-governmental and international agencies for working on the issues of counter-trafficking. Among other tangible results of the cooperation is the introduction of social sub-contraction system in the Grodno region.

Besides, both sides consider that it’s high time they moved from post-factum reaction to THB to prevention and awareness raising, as well as minimization of consequences.

During the meeting the sides informed each other about other current and potential activities and expressed their hope that their interaction will be enhanced in future.