From 16-17 October, the Chief of the State Border Guard, General Guntis Pujāts, participates in the 2nd Euro-Arab Border Security Conference organised by the Frontex Agency in Lisbon, Portugal.
During the conference, participants explore opportunities for cooperation in priority areas such as preventing irregular migration and stepping up joint efforts to combat migrant smuggling; strengthening inter-agency and international cooperation within coastguard functions; combating human trafficking and those who exploit vulnerable persons. At the conference, the Chief of the State Border Guard and representatives of the Lithuanian, Estonian and Polish Border Guard Services discussed the current situation of border security in the Baltic region, including the fight against the instrumentalisation of migrants supported and encouraged by Belarus, as well as migrant smuggling trends and future prospects for cooperation at bilateral and regional level.
The conference will also continue with a roundtable discussion on proposals for further cooperation in the field of border security in the Euro-Arab format, and will conclude with the adoption of a joint conference statement.
The purpose of the conference is to strengthen regional cooperation by bringing together representatives from the relevant institutions of the European Union and the League of Arab States, international partners and representatives of border control authorities to discuss common interests and determine areas and procedures for further cooperation, trying to ensure the sustainability of this interregional dialogue over time and in the spirit of equal partnership.