Azerbaijan turns into center for custom organizations
By Nigar Orujova
Azerbaijan has turned into a center for coordinating future joint efforts by customs organizations, said Victor Chentsov, professor at the Ukrainian Customs and Finance University.
Baku has hosted the inauguration of the Regional Office of the International Network of Customs Universities. INCU has been studying the problems of the customs services and the development of education in this area for 10 years.
The organization has been studying customs issues, considering the modernization of customs systems by introducing various innovations, and the expansion of education in the customs sphere.
INCU was established in February 2005 aimed at cooperation between the World Customs Organization, as well as other customs organizations, with universities and research institutes engaged in research and education in the field of customs. The organization includes more than 200 members worldwide. The Baku office will become the regional office for all of Europe.
“The opening of the regional office of the INCU specifically in Azerbaijan is significant by the fact that Azerbaijan already has regional training center of the World Customs Organization and the Regional Dog Training Center, and the European Regional Office of the WCO for capacity building,” Chentsov said.
“Thus, Azerbaijan has become the center for coordinating the efforts of not only for current customs administrations, but also future of customs administrations – those new generation of customs officers who will be prepared on the basis of the united programs by the international efforts,” he added.
Chentsov went on to add that the opening of this office is of great interest to those who are training future customs officials around the world.
“At the time, the WTO decided to make the customs officers carry out their main task – simplifying the trade procedures between the countries and promoting national security. They must speak the same professional language.”
“Programs have been developed and as a result of their implementation aroused the necessity to unite the efforts of the higher educational institutions that prepare the future generation of customs officers. Here how the INCU was created,” he said.
Referring to the relations between the customs authorities of Ukraine and Azerbaijan, Chentsov stressed the importance of the protocol “On the organization of exchange of preliminary information about goods and vehicles moved through their national borders,” signed in the framework of 22nd session of the Steering Committee of the GUAM on the facilitation the trade and transportation, held in Baku in July.
“To date, reliable information is what keeps the whole world together. The whole world is suffering from the fact that when the information is available not in time, it turns out sometimes tragedy. The world experienced such tragedies more than once. Therefore, a quick and efficient exchange of information, including customs environment, will contribute to the development of trade relations between our countries,” he noted.
Earlier in September, Baku hosted the 10th World Customs Organization PICARD Conference.
The Conference entitled “Partnerships in Customs Academic Research and Development” gathered over 200 delegates from 53 countries and representatives from more than 20 international organizations.
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Nigar Orujova is AzerNews’s staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @o_nigar
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