Baku, Azerbaijan, April 7
By Abbas Akhundov - Trend:
The customs services of the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) member-states will discuss a joint plan for regional cooperation in Baku, technical officer of the World Customs Organization (WCO) Samson Bilangna said at the opening of the first workshop on technical support of the Customs Cooperation Committee as part of CAREC program on April 7.
The workshop will last until April 9. The customs specialists will also discuss issues of coordination and harmonization of customs procedures, the work as part of the revised Kyoto Convention, the risk management system. Bilangna also stressed that the workshop will allow understanding the WCO various procedures better, as some countries have not yet fully used all the tools of the organization.
It is necessary to improve the legislative framework, strengthen the material - technical base, increase the level of staff training for the effective work of the customs bodies, chairman of the Azerbaijani State Customs Committee Aydin Aliyev said.
The workshop focuses on the realization of the third item. It will cover the topics of improving the customs control, risk management and use of information technologies in customs administration.
The workshop is supported by the Azerbaijani State Customs Committee, the customs support foundation under the Japanese government and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
Japan attaches great importance to Central Asia and the Caucasus, Japanese ambassador to Azerbaijan Tsuguo Takahashi said.
Japan believes that this region has great economic potential. The development of the transport sector, trade support and harmonization of customs procedures in the region are important. The Japanese government will continue assisting in this area.
While opening the workshop, head of the ADB representative office in Azerbaijan Olly Norojono spoke about the CAREC program and the objectives of the workshop.
The CAREC program established in 1997 is a partnership of 10 countries- Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and 6 multilateral institutions: ADB, European Bank of Reconstruction and Development, International Monetary Fund, Islamic Development Bank, UN Development program and World Bank.
After joining the CAREC program in 2002 Azerbaijan has invested around $3 billion in program projects. Azerbaijan has allocated around $6 billion for the development of the transport corridor within CAREC. The East West highway reconstruction by Azerbaijan within CAREC program has transformed the country into a more effective corridor between Caspian and Black seas, which contributed to the promotion of trade between Europe and Asia.
translated by NH
edited by CN