Army, UN agency sign deal to manage border flow

AMMAN — The Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army (JAF) on Tuesday signed a 5,280,000-euro agreement with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) to strengthen security and provide humanitarian assistance for refugees on the northeastern borders with Syria.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs-of-Staff Lt. Gen. Mahmoud Freihat said that the partnership with the EU and the UN through IOM is essential to enable JAF to continue assisting Syrian refugees across the borders, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Freihat stressed Jordan's efforts to enhance cooperation with the EU and UN organisations in order to reduce pressure on infrastructure and human resources on the Jordanian-Syrian border.

IOM's Chief of Mission Enrico Ponziani emphasised the need to maintain balance between humanitarian aid and security, praising Jordan's commitment to international humanitarian principles.

EU Ambassador in Amman Andrea Matteo Fontana stressed the bloc's commitment to supporting JAF to provide humanitarian assistance to Syrian refugees on the border, as well as to carry out its basic duties of protecting the Kingdom's frontiers.

According to a joint press release, carried by Petra, the agreement will provide technical support to the Jordanian authorities to build border posts capable of responding quickly to the humanitarian and security challenges on the northeastern borders.

The agreement will also help in organising capacity-building exercises and dialogue sessions to discuss immediate and long-term challenges.