The Syrian delegation was led by Defense Minister Ali Mahmoud Abbas and Intelligence Chief Hussam Louka, while the Jordanian side was represented by Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Youssef Hunaiti and General Intelligence Director Ahmed Hosni.

The talks addressed cooperation in fighting the threat of drugs, their sources of production and smuggling routes, as well as identifying the parties that organize, manage and carry out drug trafficking operations across the borders into Jordan. They also discussed the necessary measures to counteract this growing danger for the entire region.

On July 16th, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said, in a joint press conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Muhammad Shia al-Sudani, that drugs and terrorism are two sides of the same coin.

Last May, Foreign Minister Faisal Al-Mekdad refuted all statements accusing Syria of facilitating drug trafficking and called for international cooperation to eradicate this phenomenon. He also clarified that the war and terrorism imposed on Syria have turned it into a corridor and drug trafficking zone to Jordan and the Gulf states. “Some outlaws in one way or another take advantage of the fact that the Syrian army and security forces are now involved in the fight against terrorism, and engage in drug smuggling,” the foreign minister said.

Syrian authorities recently intensified their operations against criminal networks, arresting dozens of traffickers and seizing large amount of drugs.

The government denied the accusations of some Western countries that Syria supports drug trafficking and assured that the increase in consumption is caused by the complex political and security conditions and the use of narcotics as one of the tools of terrorism, with the aim of destroying stability and sowing chaos in the country.

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