Syria, Lebanon discuss border management cooperation
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press)– Syria and Lebanon held two days of technical consultations in Beirut on coordination and cooperation in border management, Syria’s General Authority for Border Crossings and Customs said on Thursday.
The consultations were facilitated by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and supported by the European Union, with representatives from relevant authorities in both countries.
The Syrian delegation included representatives from the General Authority for Border Crossings and Customs, the Defense Ministry’s Border Guard, and the Interior Ministry’s Airports and Border Crossings Department.
The Lebanese side included representatives from the General Security Directorate, army, customs, ministries and other relevant authorities, the Syrian authority said.
The talks focused on improving coordination and information sharing, facilitating the movement of passengers and goods through official crossings, and addressing operational challenges in border management.
The two sides also discussed border control procedures, operations at crossings, smuggling trends and efforts to combat them, document verification and forgery detection, as well as communication between relevant authorities and coordination between corresponding border crossings.
They also discussed strengthening liaison offices and direct communication channels, along with measures to facilitate trade and address bottlenecks in cross-border movement, according to the authority.
The consultations concluded with recommendations to strengthen institutional coordination and information sharing, simplify procedures at official crossings, continue work on electronic links between the two countries’ customs authorities, and set priorities for technical cooperation in the next phase.