17 March 2010
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Audience with the Captains Regent and Secretaries of State Remarks by Mr Khoo Boon Hui, INTERPOL president San Marino, 28 May 2009  Printable version
Your Excellencies the Captains Regent, On behalf of INTERPOL, I would like to say how honoured we are to hold our 38th European Regional Conference here in San Marino. Though this is my first Regional Conference since being elected as President in October, I did attend last year’s conference in Vilnius, Lithuania. I remember well the excellent presentation made by the Head of NCB, Mr Maurizio Faraone, before delegates were to decide where to hold this year’s conference. The rolling hills of San Marino looked so charming, so full of history, in slide after slide of Mr Faraone’s presentation and all of us decided on San Marino with great expectations. Having spoken to my colleagues over the last two days, we have agreed that our great expectations have not only been met but exceeded beyond our imagination. Your country and your people have provided the perfect venue and facilities for us to discuss major security issues. We like to say that INTERPOL is the most democratic international organization in the world. Our one-country, one-vote system means our smallest members have as big a voice as our largest members. With INTERPOL’s democratic underpinnings, it is thus fitting that we should come together in San Marino. As the world’s oldest republic, San Marino has been an island of democracy for almost a millennium. Your tenacity in maintaining independence, your dedication to freedom are ideals that all of us can learn from. San Marino joined INTERPOL in 2006. In its mere two and a half years as a member, San Marino has achieved a major feat within the INTERPOL family by hosting this Conference. Your officials have enabled us to bring together almost 200 delegates from all but one member country in the region. We also have observers from other international organizations and other member countries, from as far away as the US, Japan and Qatar. The accomplishment of this feat would not have been possible without the full support of the San Marino Government, your Excellencies and the various Honourable Secretaries of State. The success of these first two days has been a great demonstration of your country’s dedication and commitment to international police co-operation. Hosting an event such as this is a challenge for even the big countries, so I must say your officials are doing a fantastic job. They have demonstrated for all that size does not matter. Coming from another small country, Singapore, I only hope that we can, in our own way, match the wonderful experience we are having here when Singapore hosts the 78th General Assembly in October. Also as we have seen with recent successes involving the Pink Panthers criminal gangs, where countries like Liechtenstein and Monaco played key roles in the investigations and eventual arrests of suspects, our smallest members can also have as big an impact as the larger ones. In closing, I would like, on behalf of all my colleagues from INTERPOL, to thank the Government of the Most Serene Republic of San Marino and your officials for the enthusiasm, support and dedication to INTERPOL and international policing, and for making this conference possible. All of us here will remember the tangible achievements and outcomes of the conference that will certainly further the security of Europe as well as countries around the world. But for each of us personally, I am sure all of my colleagues will agree with me that the honour of being granted this audience in such a historic setting by your Excellencies and the gracious hospitality accorded by the Government of San Marino will remain forever etched in our memories. Thank you.
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