Shafaq News- Hasakah
The Syrian government on Wednesday began participating in the administration of the Semalka border crossing with the Kurdistan Region, a Syrian government official told Shafaq News, adding that the government introduced official state customs fees.
He noted that the authorities replaced the previous administrative designation with “Syrian state” in all transactions and documents. The official added that current administrative processes are being carried out by a team of government employees, alongside former staff from the Al-Waleed crossing on Iraq’s western border and the Semalka crossing with the Kurdistan Region.
According to the source, the movement of goods, trade activity, and the crossing of civilians are now under the supervision of the Syrian government.
A separate source in the visa department at Semalka told Shafaq News that procedures for Syrian travelers remain unchanged. Syrian expatriates continue to move between both sides of the border without being subject to formal government procedures or passport stamping, as is required at other Syrian crossings. However, official Syrian state branding has been adopted on transit cards and receipts.
Local traders told Shafaq News that the newly introduced customs fees are significantly higher than before, with the cost of clearing several essential goods doubling, raising concerns about direct impacts on market prices, particularly for food items.
On January 29, the Syrian government and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a Kurdish-led alliance controlling parts of northeastern Syria, announced a ceasefire agreement as part of a broader deal that includes a phased integration of military and administrative structures.
The agreement includes the withdrawal of both sides’ forces from frontlines and the deployment of Interior Ministry security forces into the centers of Hasakah and Qamishli to enhance stability. It also includes plans to integrate local security forces and form a new military division incorporating three brigades from the SDF, as well as a Kobani unit under a division linked to Aleppo province.
The deal further stipulates the handover of Qamishli Airport and border crossings to the Syrian government, the integration of autonomous administration institutions into state bodies while retaining civilian employees, and measures to address civil and educational rights for the Kurdish community, alongside facilitating the return of displaced residents.