Azerbaijan’s State Customs Committee (SCC) is developing a legislative base in order to improve import and export operations, First Deputy Chairman of the SCC Ismayil Huseynov said, Trend reports Jan. 30.

Infrastructure at border crossing points will be modernized in Azerbaijan in 2019 and measures will be taken to simplify cross-border trade, Safar Mehdiyev, chairman of the State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan, said in an interview with Trend.

Azerbaijan’s State Customs Committee fired over 100 employees due to corruption in 2018, Chairman of the Committee Safar Mehdiyev told reporters in Baku Dec. 19, Trend reports.

Customs occupies an important place in the implementation of the Azerbaijani economic strategy and strengthens statehood.

In the first 10 months of 2018, 1.074 tons of narcotics were seized from illegal circulation in Azerbaijan, the State Customs Committee told Trend on Nov. 21.

The 132-kilometer section of the state border of Azerbaijan with Iran has turned into an uncontrolled zone that delivers drugs to European and other countries, said Ali Hasanov, Vice-Premier, Chairman of the State Commission for combating drug abuse and drugs trafficking.

The State Customs Committee (SCC) of Azerbaijan intends to strengthen the fight against the abuse of the rules of import by individuals of goods not designed for production and commercial purposes, Deputy Chairman of the SCC Igbal Babayev told reporters.

Azerbaijan’s State Customs Committee has nearly completed the first stage of reforming the country’s customs sphere, Deputy Chairman of the Committee Igbal Babayev said Sept. 20 during the 7th International Caspian Energy Forum Baku-2018.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed an order to dismiss Shahin Bagirov and Nazim Mammadov, deputy chairmen of Azerbaijan’s State Customs Committee, from their posts, the committee told Trend.

Azerbaijani customs officers have prevented an attempt to send a large shipment of drugs from Iran to Ukraine, Azerbaijan’s State Customs Committee said in a message July 6.