Inp.polri.go.id - Labuan Bajo. The Labuan Bajo Declaration took center stage at the 17th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime (AMMTC) today. The conference, presided over by the Chief of Indonesian National Police (INP) Police General Listyo Sigit Prabowo as the chairman, shed light on four pivotal points of focus. The first declaration agreed upon is enhancement of legal enforcement cooperation to combat transnational crime. Concrete and operational strategies include bolstering direct collaboration among law enforcement agencies, notably the INP, which will engage in police-to-police interactions, evidence transfer, joint investigations, and mutual legal assistance. He remarked, "This endeavor seeks to expedite secure information exchange, facilitate the retrieval of items linked to transnational crimes, and foster expertise and personnel interchange across a spectrum of international collaborative endeavors." The second Indonesian-initiated declaration, he further elaborated, which was also endorsed in the 17th AMMTC, is the ASEAN Declaration on strengthening cooperation in safeguarding witnesses and victims of transnational crimes. The third declaration is regional capacity enhancement for early warning and early response, an initiative pioneered by Indonesia. This declaration's core objective is to thwart and counteract the roots of radicalization and extremist-driven violence. Finally, the declaration spearheaded by Cambodia is a concerted campaign against the illicit trade in firearms that permeates the ASEAN region. Elaborating on this issue, he elucidated, "This declaration stands as a testament to ASEAN's collective dedication to combat firearm trafficking. It articulates an encompassing strategy, including campaigns against these perilous activities, facilitating information exchange, and an array of comprehensive endeavors." Echoing the gravity of transnational crimes, he underscored the imperative of safeguarding citizen welfare. Consequently, the participants of the 17th AMMTC unanimously rallied to forge a collaborative and streamlined approach as the bedrock of an effective response to crimes transcending borders. He expressed, "Through various declarations, documents, joint statements, and technical guidelines, we aspire for inter-country cooperation, particularly in prevention, uncovering, and facing transnational crimes, to evolve into a more effective and adaptive framework." He underscored that transnational crimes wield severe repercussions, thus emphasizing citizens' interests as paramount. Hence, all participating countries in the 17th AMMTC concurred on the value of collaborative, coordinated efforts as the linchpin in tackling transnational crimes. "Undoubtedly, these aspects provide a solid foundation for our collective determination to combat and eliminate transnational crimes in the future," he asserted. Furthermore, Indonesia is actively engaged in bilateral dialogues with Malaysia and Japan, supplemented by specialized interactions involving Singapore, Laos, China, and Vietnam. These targeted sessions delve into critical aspects of law enforcement collaboration, capacity development, technology transfer, and an array of endeavors aimed at reinforcing regional security stability. (ay/hn/nm)