2003 Press Releases

U.S. and Turkmenistan Sign Agreement Regarding the Surrender of Persons to the International Criminal Court

Dec. 29, 2003

On December 25, 2003, U.S. Ambassador to Turkmenistan Tracey Ann Jacobson and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov signed an Agreement between the Governments of the United States and Turkmenistan regarding the surrender of persons to the International Criminal Court. The Agreement pertains to Article 98 of the Rome Statute signed in 1998 and provides for the United States and Turkmenistan to withhold from transferring each other's officials, employees, military personnel or other nationals to the International Criminal Court or to third parties for the purpose of surrendering to the International Criminal Court.

In her media statement after the signing ceremony, Ambassador Tracey Ann Jacobson underlined the importance of the agreement between Turkmenistan and the United States and expressed her hope in strengthening cooperation with the Government of Turkmenistan in many other areas. The Ambassador noted, "With this signing, Turkmenistan joined 75 other countries around the world that have signed such agreements with the United States." Ambassador Jacobson concluded her statement by extending her best wishes for peace and prosperity for Turkmenistan and the United States in the new year.