On July 13, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Jeyhun Bayramov, held a meeting with the Secretary General of the World Customs Organization (WCO), Ian Saunders.
According to the information provided to “Elchi” by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the meeting focused on the current state and prospects of cooperation between Azerbaijan and the World Customs Organization, facilitation of international trade, border security, digitalization of customs systems, combating illicit trade, strengthening the resilience of supply chains, and capacity building in the customs field.
Minister Jeyhun Bayramov emphasized that Azerbaijan attaches special importance to effective cooperation with the WCO and provided information on the reforms implemented in the customs sector in our country, as well as the work carried out to expand transit opportunities and facilitate international trade. It was noted that Azerbaijan’s contribution to the development of the East-West and North-South transport corridors plays an important role in strengthening regional and global trade relations.
Minister Jeyhun Bayramov provided detailed information to the other side about the new regional realities, the peace process, and the reconstruction and infrastructure projects being carried out in our liberated territories.
The Minister spoke about the large-scale projects being implemented to further strengthen our country’s position as an important transport and logistics hub in Eurasia. In this context, it was noted that Azerbaijan’s growing role in international supply chains, resulting from increasing the capacity of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway line, the development of the Middle Corridor, the expansion of the Baku International Sea Trade Port, and the operations of the Alat Free Economic Zone, creates new opportunities for increasing the efficiency of customs procedures and facilitating trade.
The parties emphasized the importance of strengthening international customs cooperation, applying innovative technologies, exchanging data, and further developing institutional collaboration.
During the meeting, an exchange of views also took place on other issues of mutual interest.