MELAKA: Senior officials from ASEAN member states have finalised the Melaka Declaration on Combating Transnational Crime during the Preparatory Senior Officials Meeting on Transnational Crime.
Home Ministry secretary-general Datuk Awang Alik Jeman chaired the meeting which served as the official preparatory session before the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime.
The ministry stated that the meeting ensured all draft declarations, joint statements and meeting agendas were agreed upon at senior officials level before ministerial consideration.
This preparatory session functioned as the final review of all technical and substantive issues to enable smooth ministerial-level discussions.
The SOMTC was held alongside the 19th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime and Related Meetings running from yesterday until September 12.
Delegates also paved the way for endorsement of a new ten-year action plan called the ASEAN Plan of Action in Combating Transnational Crime covering 2026 to 2035.
Other key initiatives finalised include establishing the SOMTC Working Group on Money Laundering and adopting the ASEAN Border Management Cooperation Roadmap.
ASEAN ministers are expected to endorse several Leaders’ Declarations covering cross-border law enforcement and money laundering prevention at the AMMTC.
The declarations will also include creative initiatives through sports activities to curb extremism according to meeting outcomes.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail previously described AMMTC as a strategic platform for ministers to coordinate regional cooperation against cross-border crime.
The 19th AMMTC and related meetings coincide with Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship 2025 under the theme ‘Inclusivity and Sustainability’. – Bernama
