Trinidad and Tobago’s Foreign Affairs Minister Knowlson A. Gift today formalized his government’s accession to the Inter-American Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters, after depositing the pertinent instruments with the Organization of American States.
The OAS treaty was adopted in Nassau, The Bahamas, on May 23, 1992 and entered into effect on April 14, 1996.
Senator Gift presented the accession documents to OAS Assistant Secretary General Luigi Einaudi at a ceremony as the OAS General Assembly prepared to conclude Tuesday. “We recognize the importance of cooperation which must prevail to protect the safety and security of our citizens and institutions,” the Foreign Minister declared, stressing that “Trinidad and Tobago gives full recognition to international efforts aimed at combating all forms of criminality.”

He cited the government’s initiatives to implement provisions of bilateral mutual legal assistance treaties, and called for stronger regional systems to tackle such trans-boundary activities as money laundering, illegal drugs and arms trafficking.

For his part, Assistant Secretary General Einaudi referred to regional efforts to control illegal small arms, asserting that, “if ever there was a problem that needed to be assaulted through concerted, regional action, this is one.” He noted as well how “we in the OAS need CARICOM [the Caribbean Community],” and stressed the need to develop a habit and practice of cooperation symbolized by today’s ceremony in which Trinidad and Tobago deposited its accession instruments relating to the treaty on mutual assistance on criminal matters.

Reference: GA-016-04