On 25 April 2024, a workshop was held in Ankara with the participation of 25 representatives from the Ministry of Justice Directorate General for Foreign Relations and EU Affairs (DGFREU) and judges and prosecutors from Ankara. 

The workshop aimed to facilitate discussions among the participants regarding the draft Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) request templates that are being developed by the Ministry of Justice. Once finalised, the templates will be used by all Turkish judges and prosecutors. The Council of Europe international and national experts led the discussions and presented international standards and good comparative practices concerning MLA requests and other forms of international cooperation. The participants exchanged views on the challenges encountered in the field of international cooperation and provided feedback on the draft templates.

The workshop resulted in productive discussions about the updated MLA templates, their content, and the necessary modifications to be made. This was the first workshop of this kind, with three more planned for the future.

The project "Improving International Judicial Cooperation in Criminal Matters in Türkiye" is co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe and implemented by the Council of Europe.