Arms trafficking is a serious threat for all European countries, regardless of whether they are EU members of part of the Western Balkans. Intensification of the joint cooperation could significantly affect towards boosting the effectiveness in fighting this kind of organised crime, Interior Minister Gordana Jankuloska said in her speech Wednesday at a ministerial conference of the Salzburg Forum, held in Warsaw.

Minister Jankuloska, who delivered her speech at a session dedicated to the fight against illegal arms trade, said that considering this matter Macedonia could not be treated separately from the entire context of Western Balkan countries, especially given the fact that the conflicts gripping the Balkans in the past 20 years had contributed to opening the problem as well.

"Majority of the weapons and explosive materials originate from these conflicts and those are being kept by individuals or groups who are selling them on the black market in the region," Jankuloska said.

The minister informed her counterparts about the obligations stemming from the legislation with respect to the issue aimed at curbing arms trafficking.

"The Macedonian Interior Ministry will keep on taking all necessary measures to eradicate arms trafficking by intensifying regional cooperation and by accepting the best practices in this field that are being applied by EU countries," Jankuloska stressed.

The conference brings together interior ministers from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Slovenia, Austria, Poland, Macedonia, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Albania, BiH, Montenegro and Moldova to discuss new technologies as tools for effective management of border security and ways to boost the cooperation within the Salzburg Forum.

The Salzburg Forum is a platform for multilateral dialogue and cooperation on issues of internal security. Its member states are Austria, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. Croatia has observer status.