On Wednesday, Justice Minister Judit Varga received Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation Yury Chaika and his delegation with whom she signed a cooperation agreement as part of a bilateral meeting in Budapest.

Both parties confirmed that justice cooperation between our countries in criminal cases goes back many long years, and both countries are committed to the fight against cross-border crime. The agreement confirms that the parties will cooperate in the areas of extradition and mutual legal assistance. Additionally, the parties agreed on issues regarding academic and research activities concerning both countries, and agreed to organise professional training programmes between the Ministry of Justice and the agencies of the Office of the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation.

The agreement does not qualify as an international treaty, and results in no binding rights or obligations. Based on the declaration of intent, the Hungarian and Russian authorities will continue the consultations which have worked effectively also to date, have the possibility to send experts on study trips to one another’s authorities, inform one another about best practices, and exchange experiences with respect to the practical implementation of international cooperation.

At the meeting, the parties also touched upon current European affairs such as migration, in the context of which the Russian party spoke about the Hungarian position and practice in words of praise, in contrast to the European Union’s practices which are often detached from the people’s will.

(MTI)