Algeria-Libya: Meeting of Joint Committee on Customs Cooperation in Algiers

ALGIERS- A meeting of the Algerian-Libyan Joint Committee on Customs Cooperation was held Monday, in Algiers, under the chairmanship of the Director General of the Algerian Customs, Major General Abdelhafidh Bakhouche and his Libyan counterpart, Major General Musa Ali Muhammad, devoted to the examination of mechanisms and ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation between the two countries.

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The meeting was held at the headquarters of the General Directorate of Customs (DGD), attended by a Libyan delegation beginning their working visit to Algeria on Sunday. Central DGD executives and regional directors joined via video call, alongside representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and National Community Abroad and African Affairs, and the Libyan Ambassador's office to Algeria.

Major General Bakhouche emphasized the need to enhance customs cooperation between both nations and strengthen joint efforts against smuggling, especially of currency, drugs, and psychotropic substances, citing their detrimental impact on both countries' economies and public health."

This cooperation translates into sharing expertise and knowledge, and implementing mechanisms to facilitate and secure the movement of goods and travellers across both states' borders, along with the "effective" implementation of the "mutual administrative assistance" agreement signed between both countries in 1989, affirmed the Director General of Customs, who emphasized the importance of removing potential obstacles to effectively implementing these mechanisms on the ground.

Major General Bakhouche also reaffirmed his services' commitment to improving customs service quality and continuing national efforts to adopt modern and proactive mechanisms based on effective risk management, to strengthen national border security, support foreign trade, and assist citizens and economic operators.

For his part, the Libyan Director General of Customs, Major General Musa Ali Muhammad, welcomed the customs cooperation between both countries, considering this coordination meeting "reflects the shared commitment of Libyan and Algerian customs to remove obstacles and combat all forms of commercial fraud and smuggling, which will strengthen bilateral trade."

The DGD specified that the Libyan delegation's visit aimed to examine avenues to enhance mutual administrative cooperation by exploring coordination methods and strengthening bilateral cooperation in several customs areas, particularly in training and expertise exchange.

The works of this Algerian-Libyan Joint Customs Cooperation Committee will wrap up on Monday evening with the signing of bilateral meeting minutes.

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