Lithuania and Armenia’s Border Guard Services Agree to Cooperate

On Monday, a delegation from the Border Guard of the National Security Service of the Republic of Armenia began a five-day familiarization visit to Lithuania. The delegation is headed by the First Deputy Head of the institution, Acting Head Edgar Hunanyan.

Also arriving in Vilnius were the Head of the Border Crossing Points Department, Robert Gharsoyan, Assistant to the Head for International Cooperation Tigran Baghdasaryan, and Senior Officer of the Border Surveillance Division Vladimir Tumasyan.

On the first day of the visit, a memorandum of cooperation was signed between the State Border Guard Service of Lithuania (SBGS) and the Border Guard of Armenia’s National Security Service. The memorandum was signed by the heads of both countries’ border guard services – General Rustamas Liubajevas of Lithuania and Colonel Edgar Hunanyan of Armenia.

Lithuanian and Armenian border guards will cooperate in combating human trafficking and illegal migration, preventing organized and transnational crime, detecting document forgery, and identifying individuals who attempt to or have illegally crossed the state border, as well as those suspected of organizing such crimes. The parties will also collaborate in areas such as border control and surveillance, personnel training, canine services, and other related fields.

The signing ceremony was attended by the Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia to Lithuania, Ara Margarian.

The Armenian delegation was introduced to the structure, key tasks, and functions of the SBGS, as well as the current situation on the Lithuanian border. They visited the Border Guard School and the Medininkai border crossing point under the Padvarionys Border Unit of the Vilnius Frontier District. During the remainder of their visit, the Armenian delegation will go to the SBGS Aviation Unit and will become familiar with the operations and current affairs of the Varėna and Coast Guard Frontier Districts.