Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan expand cooperation in the field of customs administration and cargo transportation

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — On May 22, Chairman of the Customs Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan Akmalkhuzha Mavlonov met with Chairman of the State Revenue Committee of the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Kazakhstan Zhandos Duisembiev in Tashkent. The parties discussed topical issues of customs cooperation, including measures to simplify cross-border logistics and modernize infrastructure. Special attention was paid to the prospect of allowing the transportation of oversized cargo and the movement of empty cargo vehicles through four new automobile checkpoints, including Ak Altyn — Tselinny and Malik — Syrdarya. This will significantly reduce the load on the existing checkpoints — Yallama, Nakhimov and Syrdarya, as well as on neighboring posts in Kazakhstan. The parties discussed the introduction of a "green corridor" regime for accelerated processing of agricultural products, as well as the launch of an "electronic queue" system for heavy-duty vehicles. This system, aimed at reducing waiting times and increasing transparency of procedures, will be phased in at Uzbek customs posts, starting with the Navoi post. Issues of technical integration and expansion of data exchange between the customs services of the two countries were also discussed, in particular, the mutual exchange of scanned images obtained from inspection and inspection complexes and information about passenger cars crossing the border. During the meeting, the parties discussed a draft agreement on the establishment of permanent representative offices of customs authorities in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, and also presented an updated plan for bilateral cooperation. The document provides for the accelerated modernization of existing checkpoints and the construction of new ones, including the upcoming reconstruction of the Syrdarya checkpoint after the completion of work at the Gishtkuprik and Daut-Ota posts. The parties noted the importance of improving the methodology for maintaining customs statistics of mutual trade in order to eliminate discrepancies in accounting data. As a result of the negotiations, three documents were signed, including agreements on cooperation between customs laboratories and programs for the exchange of experience and professional development.

Source of information: UzDaily.uz