MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 31st January, 2020) Western Balkan countries' foreign and interior ministers gathered in Berlin on Friday for the second high-level meeting as part of the French-German initiative on the fight against illicit arms trafficking in the region, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) has said.
France and Germany launched the initiative back in 2018 to push for a sustainable solution to the comprehensive control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) in the Western Balkans by 2024.
"[Friday's] meeting focused on progress evaluation and provided an occasion for Western Balkans representatives and their international partners to present the results reached thus far, as well as their proposals for further activities under the 2024 Roadmap," the OSCE, which supports the Franco-German initiative, said.
The event was co-chaired by foreign ministers Heiko Maas of Germany and Jean-Yves Le Drian of France. Apart from the Western Balkans' ministers, European Commission officials, international organizations and bilateral donors were also present at the gathering.
Addressing the meeting, OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger reiterated commitment to "supporting the institutions of the region in the area of SALW and SCA [stockpiles of conventional ammunition], through dedicated projects and in close co-ordination with other international partners."
In its statement, the OSCE added that it had been actively helping countries of the region in establishing real-time police and customs data exchange with a view to fighting arms trafficking and ammunition misuse.
Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, Moldova and North Macedonia are among SALW initiative participants.
