Ministry of Interior of Republika Srpska and the European Commission Technical Assistance and Information Exchange Instrument (TAIEX) organised the Seminar on “Combatting Terrorism, Money Laundering and the Financing of Terrorism” on 7 and 8 October 2009 in Banja Luka.

This is the fifth seminar organised by the Ministry of Interior of Republika Srpska with the assistance of TAIEX. The Seminar was officially opened by Mr Stanislav Čađo, Minister of Interior of Republika Srpska and Mr Bruno Broomer, representative of the Embassy of Germany to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Mr Ramin Farinpour, representative of the European Commission Directorate General for Enlargement welcomed the participants and emphasised that the number of applications for the use of Technical Assistance and Information Exchange Instrument has increased in this year by 50 percent.

„We are pleased with the activities taken by Republika Srpska and their involvement when it comes to the use of TAIEX and I hope that the representatives of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina will after this two-day Seminar take initiatives in using this instrument” – stated Farinpour.

In his address to the participants of the Seminar, which gathered representatives of the police agencies and prosecutors’ offices from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia, FYR Macedonia and Albania, as well as representatives of the Ministries of Finance of Republika Srpska, Federation of BiH and Bosnia and Herzegovina, Banking Agency of Republika Srpska, European Commission and EUPM, Minister Čađo stated that the fight against terrorism was a global issue and that it was one of four priorities on the agenda of the Ministry of Interior of Republika Srpska

He stated that one of the key preconditions for an efficient fight against terrorism was as direct as possible cooperation between the security agencies in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the region and wider.

“The key element of a direct cooperation between the security agencies includes the need for a quick reaction to any kind of terrorism acts preparation ”, stated Minister Čađo.

He reminded that the organisation and execution of terrorist activities included organisational, logistical and financial capacities and their use, and that one of the most dangerous and most common way of financing terrorism activities lately are criminal activities, production and trade of narcotics, human trafficking, arms trafficking, car thefts, hi-jacking, blackmailing and various cyber crime.

Mr Bruno Broomer, representative from the Embassy of Germany to BiH welcomed the decision taken by the Ministry of Interior of Republika Srpska to devote this Seminar to a global problem.

„Western Balkan countries belong to the European Union and I hope that they will soon become part of it. We are pleased with the activities taken by the Ministry of Interior of Republika Srpska in the framework of the European integration process“, stated Bromer.

Uroš Pena, Director of Police of Republika Srpska, stated that the Republika Srpska Police forces are very committed to the fight against terrorism and that it was evidenced by the information that the police and intelligence services in Bosnia and Herzegovina identified 45 persons in BiH  who represent a threat to the national security.