The meeting was attended by delegations from all 10 ASEAN member states.
The Vietnamese inter-sector delegation was led by a high-ranking officer from the Ministry of Public Security, and included members from the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Supreme People’s Court, the Supreme People’s Procuracy, the Office of the President and the Office of the Government.
By now, the ASEAN member states have signed several key legal instruments aimed at promoting international cooperation in crime prevention and control, including the ASEAN Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty in Criminal Matters, and the ASEAN Convention Against Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children.
However, the extradition cooperation among regional countries remains limited due to the absence of a unified legal framework across the region.
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| Vietnamese delegates attend the meeting. |
During the three-day meeting, delegates reached consensus on most of the provisions of the draft treaty that had not been consented before, contributing to the further refinement of the draft ASEAN Extradition Treaty.
Nonetheless, due to differences in political systems, traditional legislature and laws among ASEAN member states, it needs more time for regional countries to discuss and finalize the draft treaty.
Evidently, an ASEAN Extradition Treaty will serve as a vital legal instrument to strengthen cooperation in crime prevention and control across the region, particularly in extradition of the convicted, while significantly contributing to the development of the ASEAN Political-Security Community, one of the three pillars of the ASEAN Community.
During the meeting, the Vietnamese delegation actively participated in the drafting process by offering several substantive and constructive proposals, which were appreciated by the ASEAN Secretariat and fellow delegations.
A number of the Vietnamese delegation’s ideas were then incorporated into the draft treaty.
Additionally, the Vietnamese delegation also learned valuable lessons and drew legislative experiences from ASEAN partners during its participation in drafting the treaty.
Such lessons and experiences will help the Vietnamese officials complete the Vietnamese legal framework on extradition, and especially build a comprehensive Law on Extradition in the coming time.