SELEC

Director General, Dr. Oguz Serkant Akin and Director for Operations, Mr. Chavdar Georgiev, welcomed today, 4th of May 2026, Dr. Valentin Chirica, Regional Coordinator and Technical Expert at the World Customs Organization (WCO).

The meeting facilitated productive and forward-looking discussions focused on strengthening the existing partnership between the two organizations and identifying new opportunities for enhanced operational cooperation.

Constructive dialogue and a shared commitment remain key to addressing common challenges together.

🌐 SELEC Management received today, 29 April 2026, the visit of Mr. Peter Thorpe, Head of the International Network, and Mr. Shahid Javed, Regional Manager for Southern Europe, accompanied by HMRC Liaison Officers based at SELEC, thereby reaffirming the strong partnership between the two institutions.

During the meeting, the parties engaged in constructive discussions on enhancing operational cooperation, identifying new areas for coordinated efforts, and defining future steps regarding the ongoing regional operation — a joint initiative of and HMRC — aimed at detecting and disrupting illicit cash transfers, as well as the movement of high-value commodities across borders.

🇲🇰 During the meeting held on 6 March 2026, in Skopje, between the Director General, Dr. Oguz Serkant Akin, Director for Legal and Internal Affairs of SELEC, Mr. Jovan Peshevski, and the management of the Customs Administration of Republic of North MacedoniaЦаринска управа/Drejtoria e Doganave, the parties discussed ways to further strengthen regional cross-border cooperation in the fight against transnational organized crime.
The Director of the Customs Administration, Boban Nikolovski - Бобан Николовски, emphasized the importance of the partnership with SELEC, stating:
“SELEC is one of the most important strategic partners of our country in the fight against transnational organized crime. Our cooperation focuses on combating illicit drug trafficking, customs fraud, and migrant smuggling. By further intensifying and deepening this partnership, we aim to strengthen security across South East Europe.”

🤝 The Director General of SELEC, Dr. Oguz Serkant Akin, and the Director for Legal and Internal Affairs, Mr. Jovan Peshevski, had a meeting today, 5th of March 2026, with the Minister of Interior of Republic of North Macedonia (Министерство за внатрешни работи / Мinistria e Punëve të Brendshme), Mr. Pance Toshkovski, to discuss strengthening cooperation and coordination in the fight against cross-border organized crime in Southeast Europe.

Link: https://www.selec.org/meeting-with-the-minister-of-interior-of-republic-of-north-macedonia/