Heads of Customs Services of OTS Countries Meet in Bishkek

The 12th meeting of the heads of customs services of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) member countries was held in Bishkek, the press service of the Customs Committee of Uzbekistan reported.

The Uzbek delegation at the meeting was led by Chairman of the Customs Committee Akmalhuja Mavlonov. The participants discussed the simplification of foreign trade procedures, digitalization, and the implementation of the agreement on the creation of a "Simplified Customs Corridor", signed in November 2022 in Samarkand. Under the agreement, Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan have already completed the procedures for a pilot project and established electronic data exchange.

The Uzbek side presented the concept of the "Single Window" system, aimed at reducing time and financial costs for cargo transportation. In addition, the Customs Committee expressed its readiness to hold a seminar at the Central Customs Laboratory and a webinar on risk management for colleagues from OTS countries.

The meeting also considered the issue of mutual recognition of Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) programs. Uzbekistan has already signed such an agreement with Azerbaijan and is negotiating with Kyrgyzstan, Turkey, and Kazakhstan. By the end of this year, the parties agreed to develop an Action Plan for customs cooperation for 2027-2031. The next meeting of the heads of departments will be held in Turkey in 2027.