Lithuania threatens to leave Interpol if Russian representative is elected as head of organization
Lithuania will be forced to consider the possibility of leaving Interpol if Alexander Prokopchuk, the representative of Russia, is elected as head of the organization, stated the resolution adopted by the Seimas of Lithuania.
88 deputies voted in support of the resolution, 0 against, and seven abstained.
“If Prokopchuk is elected head of Interpol, then Lithuania, together with other democratic countries, will have to immediately consider the possibility of leaving the organization,” the document says.
In addition, the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Vilnius will seek to ensure that Prokopchuk is not elected as head of Interpol.
Earlier, the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Arsen Avakov said that Ukraine may withdraw from Interpol if the organization is headed by a Russian.
In addition, a number of US senators said that electing the Russian general would be "akin to putting a fox in charge of the henhouse".
Prokopchuk served as the Interpol National Central Bureau (NCB) for the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation since June 14, 2011. Since November 10, 2016 to the present, he has been vice president of Interpol. The other candidate for the Interpol head is Kim Jong Yang from South Korea, an adviser to the head of the organization, who previously served as vice-president.
The need to elect a new head of Interpol arose after at the end of September, the head of the organization Meng Hongwei disappeared. At first, he was reported missing; then information appeared about his detention by the Chinese authorities. The 64-year-old official is under investigation but charges against him have not been made public. His place of detention is also unknown.