The memorandum was signed on the second day of a conference called "Western Balkans - A Gate for Terrorism and Organised Crime" by officials from Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Albania, and Kosovo.
"Organised crime can be suppressed only through joint action and the exchange of information," said Serbian Police Chief Milorad Veljovic.
The acting director of Bosnia and Herzegovina's Investigation and Protection Agency, Sead Lisak, underlined that confiscation of unlawfully acquired property would have a positive impact on the search for the Hague tribunal's remaining war crimes fugitives given that hiding is very expensive and often financed through crime.
Dennis Hubert, chief of the Council of Europe office in Serbia, told the press that Serbia's priority was to strengthen regional cooperation and therefore prospects of joining the European Union, which he said was in the interest of the other countries in the region as well. He also said the countries in the region were increasingly aware of the importance of jointly combating organised crime.